The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, is on the verge of losing his final remaining honour as the City of London Corporation holds emergency talks about his status.
A Prestigious Honour Under Threat
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has seen nearly all of his military honours and royal titles stripped away in recent weeks following the scandal surrounding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The one honour he has managed to retain so far is the historic Freedom of the City of London.
However, this last symbolic title is now in serious jeopardy. Chiefs at the City of London Corporation have been engaged in crisis talks, urgently discussing the procedure to remove this ancient privilege from the disgraced royal.
What the Freedom of the City of London Entails
This honour is one of Britain's oldest and most exclusive civic awards. It grants recipients unique, if largely ceremonial, rights. These include the right to drive sheep over London Bridge and to carry a ceremonial sword within the City boundaries.
The honour has been bestowed upon a host of celebrated figures over the years. Other prominent Freemen include his late father, Prince Philip, King Charles III, footballer Sir David Beckham, and singer Ed Sheeran.
The Mechanism of Removal
A spokesman for the City of London Corporation clarified how Andrew originally received the honour, stating: "Andrew received the honour by virtue of patrimony, which is inherited as the child of a Freeman." Applications via this hereditary path are not typically reviewed by elected members.
The Corporation has acknowledged public concern, confirming it is "listening, and will continue to listen, to concerns raised." It is now carefully examining the rules governing how the Freedom is awarded and, crucially, the circumstances and procedure for its removal.
This development follows the dramatic announcement from King Charles last month, which saw Andrew lose his remaining royal patronages and military affiliations. He was also forced to relinquish his use of the HRH style and faces losing his Royal Lodge home.
The actions against Andrew stem from the civil sexual assault case filed by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17. The Duke has consistently and vehemently denied all allegations made against him.
