York removes Freedom of the City honour from Prince Andrew
The Duke of York was given the Honorary Freedom of the City of York in 1987
Last updated 29th May 2022
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his Freedom of York honour.
At a extraordinary full council meeting held tonight (Wednesday, 27 April), City of York Council voted in favour of relinquishing the Duke of York's title in the wake of the sexual assault case brought against him.
Prince Andrew was given the Honorary Freedom of the City of York in 1987 by the Queen.
The move to strip the royal of his title comes in the wake of the sexual assault case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre in America, which has now been settled out of court.
Andrew has already had his honorary military roles stripped from him.
Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, has repeatedly called for Andrew to give up his association with the city saying it is causing ‘deep hurt and embarrassment’ to the people who live there.
The City of York council says the honorary freedom of the city is bestowed to recognise notable service by local residents, to distinguished people, and to royalty.
Other recipients of the honour include the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill, film composer John Barry, and actress Dame Judi Dench.
In addition, there are renewed calls for Prince Andrew to relinquish his Duke of York honour - a he was given following his 1986 wedding to Sarah Ferguson.
Speaking before the meeting Councillor Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure & Communities, who proposed the motion, said:
“The Honorary Freedom of York is the highest honour we, as a city, can bestow on those we feel have given notable service. We feel that is no longer appropriate for Prince Andrew to hold this ambassadorial title that is intrinsically linked to our city.
“York’s unique connection to the Crown and the Monarch is and will remain an important part of our city's legacy and history.
"However, the allegations levelled at Prince Andrew as well as his associations with convicted abusers are incredibly serious and cannot be ignored.
"As a Council and city, we stand with victims of sexual abuse and are working to end violence against woman and girls."
Prince Andrew had been contacted in advance of the meeting to inform him of councillors intention to seek to remove the honorary freedom.