City of York wants Prince Andrew ‘stripped of title’

Prince Andrew has effectively been exiled from the royal family. Now the City of York wants nothing to do with the disgraced Duke.

Nearly nine in 10 residents in the northern British city of York have overwhelmingly agreed that Prince Andrew should be stripped of his Duke of York title amid the dramatic fallout from his bombshell sex abuse lawsuit, according to a new poll.

It comes after a British Labour MP said that Prince Andrew’s title as Duke of York is “untenable” and called for a debate into how aristocratic titles which “take their name from a geographical location”.

The city appears to be distancing itself from the so-called “pariah prince” after the Queen sensationally stripped him of his honorary military roles, royal patronages, and official HRH status last week.

Prince Andrew has been accused of sexual assault by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Pictures: AFP

A survey by York’s daily newspaper The Press found that 88 per cent of its readers want to see the prince’s Duke of York title taken away from him as he faces a sex abuse civil lawsuit in the US.

Prince Andrew is facing a lawsuit from an Australian-based accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre who claims she was trafficked to have sex with him by paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Ms Roberts Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with the royal on three occasions when she was a minor under American law.

Prince Andrew has strongly denied the allegations and will fight the lawsuit as a “private citizen”. He is not being accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Prince Andrew has been stripped of his honorary military titles. Picture: Getty Images

MP Rachael Maskell called for a debate on whether the future of his title as Duke of York should be “determined” by “local people”.

She cited the precedent of a 1917 act of Parliament used to strip enemies of the United Kingdom of their British peerages during the First World War.

“My city of York has developed an interest about how titles are assigned and how they can be removed from people who take the name of a geographical location in their title,” she said during questioning in parliament.

Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell stands in the background. Picture: AFP

“In 1917, parliament enacted the Titles Deprivation Act to remove a title for the act of treason.

“Will the Leader make time to debate new legislation that empowers local people to determine the circumstances in which titles are awarded and removed and how that reflects on the geographical location from which a title is taken?”

A portrait of Prince Andrew outside The Duke of York pub in London. Picture: Getty Images

“York has a global reputation not just through its rich cultural heritage but for the social values it espouses.”

Government Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg replied that the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act was “an extremely interesting act of Parliament”, adding: “I understand the successors to the dukes who were deprived could petition to have their titles restored if they so wished.

But he gave no indication that MPs would be allowed to debate Ms Maskell’s proposals, and said: “As regards the award of territorial designations, that is a matter for the sovereign.”

After Prince Andrew was stripped of his military roles and HRH title, Ms Maskell joined senior York city councillors in calling for the Duke to be no longer associated with the city.

At the time, she said: ““It’s untenable for the Duke of York to cling on to his title another day longer; this association with York must end.

“There’s a very serious allegation made against this man of privilege and entitlement.

“I’m working with agencies to tackle sexual violence and misogyny.”

Originally published as City of York wants Prince Andrew ‘stripped of title’