Prince Andrew stripped of his York freeman status: "We as a city stand with victims of abuse"
- Replies 6
Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, has been stripped of another title because of sexual abuse allegations and his associations with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
At a meeting at York Racecourse on Wednesday night, the city council voted unanimously to strip Prince Andrew, who is the current Duke of York, of one of the city's highest honours – his Freedom of the City Honour.
Even though there were two formal abstentions, one from the lord mayor and the other from the lord mayor-elect, the motion to remove the distinction given to Prince Andrew in 1987 was carried unanimously at the full council meeting.
The Duke of York has been dealt another blow in the lead-up to celebrations for his mother’s Platinum Jubilee. Credit: Getty Images.
Council members also called for either the Queen or the Government to strip Andrew of the title Duke of York.
"The honour is held by many notable and accomplished people who carry it with pride and responsibly," said Darryl Smalley, City of York Council's Executive Member for Culture.
"Having been stripped of his military roles and royal patronages by the Queen, we believe that it is right to remove all links that Prince Andrew still has with our great city."
"I was pleased to see councillors of all parties support this motion and make it clear that it is no longer appropriate for Prince Andrew to represent York and its residents," he continued.
"The removal of this honorary title sends the right message that we as a city stand with victims of abuse."
In January, the Queen stripped Prince Andrew of his military titles and patronages amid the lawsuit after a thorough discussion within the senior ranks of the royal family, which included Prince Charles and Prince William.
However, the disgraced royal still retains his title as the Duke of York and keeps his place in the line of succession to the throne, which is currently ninth, behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's two children.
But he can no longer use the title "His Royal Highness" in any official capacity.
York councillors also demanded that the royal give up his Duke of York title – a dukedom bestowed to him by the Queen on his wedding to Sarah Ferguson in 1987 – and cut all remaining connections to the city.
"The next logical step is now for Prince Andrew to do the right thing and relinquish his Duke of York title," said Smalley. "If he fails to do so, the Government and Buckingham Palace must step in to remove his title to finally end Prince Andrew’s connection to York."
What are your thoughts, folks? Were they reasonable for revoking Prince Andrew's title? Or should they have waited for the case to formally close first?
.png){kind=icon}
