Prince Andrew lost an important ceremonial honor on Thursday after councilors in the northern city of York voted unanimously on Wednesday night to withdraw his “freedom from the city”, it reported. The Associated Press.
The honor was bestowed on Andrew in 1987 after Queen Elizabeth II created him Duke of York.
Andrew is the first person to be stripped of status, a purely ceremonial honor dating back to medieval times when “free men” enjoyed special privileges.
Honorees include actress Judi Dench and Princess Anne, Andrew’s sister.
Prince Andrew was stripped of his honorary military duties in January amid furor over a lawsuit alleging he had sex with a 17-year-old girl and fears the scandal could taint the House of Windsor.
The queen also removed her honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages, and prohibited her from using the title “Her Royal Highness” in official settings.
Prince Andrew later settled the lawsuit, agreeing to pay his accuser an undisclosed sum that British media say could be as high as 12 million pounds ($15 million). He denies the accusations.
York City Councilor Darryl Smalley said the city was simply following the example set by the queen in taking Andrew’s titles away.
“She saw that he was doing serious reputational damage to those military institutions and charities, so she stepped in to remove him from those positions,” Smalley said. ITV News.
“We strongly believe, and many residents agree with us, that we should remove all ties between our city and Prince Andrew.”
Smalley and other local leaders have argued that Andrew should also lose the title of Duke of York.
“York has had a fantastic relationship with the monarchy for hundreds of years. It’s something we appreciate,” she said. “We cannot appreciate it as long as we have Prince Andrew as our highest-ranking royal member.” – access point