Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced former Duke of York, is poised to lose the Freedom of the City of London after failing to respond to a request to voluntarily surrender the honour. The City of London Corporation, which oversees the Square Mile, is drafting a new bill that would allow elected members to vote on revoking the privilege.
The honour, which he inherited from his late father, Prince Philip, in 2012, has become a focal point of controversy following revelations about his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. A motion of censure was passed against Mr Mountbatten-Windsor in May, with the Court of Common Council describing his conduct as “wholly unacceptable and inconsistent” with the status of a Freeman.
The Corporation initially believed it lacked the legal power to remove the honour and wrote to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor asking him to give it up voluntarily. After he failed to reply, legal officials began developing a new process. A spokesperson said: “We are developing a process that would allow the Freedom of the City of London to be removed where appropriate, having determined that there is currently no effective lawful mechanism to do so.”
The former Duke of York was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, relating to allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. He was released under investigation and has denied any wrongdoing. The King stripped him of his royal titles in October, and the government is considering legislation to remove him from the line of succession.
The City Corporation expressed “profound disappointment” that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had not surrendered his freedom, adding that its thoughts “remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation”. The Freedom of the City of London, a largely ceremonial role dating back to 1237, allows recipients to walk sheep over London Bridge. Recent recipients include astronaut Tim Peake and comedian Sir Lenny Henry.
