The government is facing a rather strange dilemma: what to do about Prince Andrew. Last week the royal voluntarily gave up his titles after speaking with King Charles, following increasing scrutiny on his links to US paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir – published today – has brought her accusations of sexual assault against him back to the fore and piled yet more pressure on the prince, who has strongly denied the allegations.
While he has stopped using the Duke of York title, Andrew will remain a prince in accordance with the law set down by George V in 1917. Only an act of parliament can legally strip him of his titles – and now Sir Keir Starmer’s army is being urged to take action. More than just his titles, however, a Times article revealing that Andrew has not paid rent on his Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor Estate for two decades has also ruffled feathers. Steerpike has the full list of MPs attacking Prince Andrew here…
Rachael Maskell, independent MP for York Central
The former Labour politician has said that the majority of her constituents don’t want the royal to ‘carry a title bearing the name of our city’. She told Sky News that 88 per cent of York Central’s constituents are opposed to Andrew bearing the title and added that she is calling for a change in the law so that mechanisms are in place to remove titles.
Robert Jenrick, shadow justice secretary and Conservative MP for Newark
The shadow justice secretary has also waded in, going beyond the Conservative Party line. He attacked Prince Andrew for disgracing both the royal family and the nation and stated that the Prince must no longer be allowed to live in Royal Lodge. ‘It’s about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life. He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the royal family time and again. I don’t see why the taxpayer frankly should continue to foot the bill at all.’ Punchy!
Stephen Flynn, SNP Westminster leader and MP for Aberdeen South
Even the Scots are in on it: the SNP has lodged a motion, supported by all nine of the party’s MPs, that could see Starmer’s government introduce legislation to remove Prince Andrew’s titles. Westminster group leader Stephen Flynn has called for the immediate removal of both Andrew’s dukedom and Peter Mandelson’s peerage: ‘This SNP motion is a way to pile pressure on the UK government to bring forward that legislation immediately. The only real question is what Keir Starmer’s government is waiting for.’ Strong stuff.
Plaid Cymru
All four of the Welsh nationalist party’s MPs have backed the SNP motion, with group leader Liz Saville Roberts adding her name alongside Ben Lake, Ann Davies and Llinos Medi.
Greens
Two of the Green party’s four MPs have supported the SNP motion, with Siân Berry and Ellie Chowns backing calls for Andrew’s titles to be removed.
Freddie van Mierlo, Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame
So far van Mierlo is the only Lib Dem to have signed the SNP motion – however the Liberal Democrats have called for Prince Andrew to pay compensation to the taxpayer for lost income over two decades over the Royal Lodge peppercorn rent revelations.
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