Following the bombshell removal of his royal patronage and military titles, there are now growing calls for Prince Andrew to be stripped of his Duke of York title.
The push for Andrew to relinquish his title would require an act of Parliament, but officials claim removing the title is necessary to prevent city of York from being damaged any further by the association.
City of York Labour MP Rachael Maskell told The Guardian, “this association with York must end”.
“It’s untenable for the Duke of York to cling on to his title another day longer,” she said.
“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.”
Senior councillor Darryl Smalley said the city’s reputation was being damaged by the association with Prince Andrew.
“I think the vast majority of people in York feel exactly the same in protecting the reputation of the city,” he said.
“York is fantastic, we have got a lot to be proud of and one thing we don’t want is to be so burdened with this link to Prince Andrew.
“It is important for us as councillors and city leaders that we raise these concerns, just as servicemen and veterans did in their letter to the Queen.
“It’s our duty really to make clear that we are very unhappy that despite him not using titles such as ‘His Royal Highness’ he still somehow retains the title of Duke of York. It seems strange to a lot of us here in York.”
The push to have the Duke of York title removed comes after the Queen stripped Prince Andrew of his military titles and royal patronage on January 13 following continued fallout from sexual abuse allegations.
A statement released by Buckingham Palace announced the decision regarding the royal.
“With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” the statement said.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
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