Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has failed to give up the Freedom of the City of London, “despite being asked to do so”.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor hasn’t given up the Freedom of the City of London
The former prince – who was stripped of his titles and royal privileges by King Charles last October over his links to late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – received the honour in 2012 by “virtue of patrimony” because his late father, Prince Philip, had been a freeman but last month, the City of London Corporation wrote to ask him to voluntarily give it up, after a review concluded the freeom couldn’t be taken away because of the circumstances of how it was bestowed.
And now, the City of London Corporation have passed a motion of censure, a formal expression of disapproval, after Andrew – who was arrested in March on suspicion of misconduct in public office – failed to respond to their letter inviting him to give up the honour.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the motion noted there was “profound disappointment” Andrew had “not surrendered his freedom despite being asked to do so”.
The City Corporation’s court of common council had branded the disgraced royal’s links with Epstein “wholly unacceptable and inconsistent” with the status and obligations of a freeman of the City of London, and noted they have instructed officers to commence procedings to The court said it had instructed officers to commence proceedings to enable it to “lawfully remove the freedom of the City from Andrew”.
In its full motion, the court said: “The court of Common Council notes with the utmost dismay Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s association with the convicted paedophile, the late Jeffrey Epstein, and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“Whilst it recognises that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor maintains that he has done nothing wrong, it nevertheless considers that his well-publicised association with Epstein is wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with his status and obligations as a freeman of the City of London.
“In the circumstances, and in solidarity with Epstein’s victims and survivors, the court wishes to remove Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s freedom consistent with decisions already taken by His Majesty the King and other military and civil bodies to strip him of his offices and honours.”
The motion ended with the City Corporation noting their thoughts “remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation”.
The honour – which is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade – is typically awarded to people nominated by corporation councillors and all of Andrew’s siblings have the freedom of the City of London, as do the likes of Sir Lenny Henry and Cate Blanchett.
Earlier this year, Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was stripped of the Freedom of the City of York following a unanimous vote from councillors, who cited concerns about the author’s links to Epstein, who died in 2019 aged 66.
The honorary title had been awarded to Sarah in 1987 following her marriage to Andrew, but councillors said the association raised questions about whether she met the standards expected of recipients.
Their motion, passed under Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, formally withdrew the status.
The move followed earlier action in 2022 when Andrew – the former Duke of York – was also stripped of the honour.
Following the release of the Epstein files, records from Companies House showed six companies linked to Sarah began winding down operations, while her charity, Sarah’s Trust, announced it would close “for the foreseeable future”.
