Prince Andrew loses 'Freedom Of The City Of York' honour in council vote

In the latest blow to UK Queen Elizabeth II’s son, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York has been stripped of his 'Freedom of the City of York' honour after a vote by councillors. Prince Andrew was given the Duke of York title in 1987 when he married his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. The motion to remove the accolade given to the UK monarch's third child was carried unanimously at a full council meeting, according to BBC. Losing the title implies that he is no longer considered a freeman of the city of York.

Additionally, the councillors also called for Prince Andrew to relinquish his Duke of York title in the aftermath of his out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein-Glen Maxwell case in the United States. In the settlement of a sexual abuse case, the prince, in February, agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to Giuffre. It is to note here that Giuffre had sued Prince Andrew in a civil case claiming that he sexually assaulted her on at least three occasions when she was 17. 

Even though he repeatedly denied allegations, the out-of-court settlement sparked a fresh crisis for the royal, who was already questioned for his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. 

The largest group on the City of York Council, York Liberal Democrats reportedly said that the prince had been contacted by the local authority to inform him about the motion before the meeting on Wednesday. According to the BBC, both Buckingham Palace and the spokesperson for the Duke of York declined to comment on the matter. 

‘First to ever have freedom removed’

As per the report, Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell said that Prince Andrew was the “first to ever have their freedom removed" by the city and backed calls for his title to be relinquished. Notably, the rank of duke, similar to other peerages, can only be removed by an act of the parliament. This type of measure was last taken in 1917. Following the council meeting, Liberal Democrat Darryl Smalley even called on the UK government and the Royal family to “step in to remove his title to finally end Prince Andrew's connection to York" if the prince "fails to do so".

Image: AP