A city MP has presented a new Parliamentary Bill, paving the way for Prince Andrew to be stripped of his title of Duke of York.
Rachael Maskell is seeking to introduce the Removal of Titles Bill.
If it was made into law, it would give either the monarch or a committee of Parliament the right to remove a title.
Despite much public outcry, Prince Andrew is still Duke of York title, even after many of his other titles have been removed by the Queen.
The legislation would also enable peerages to be stripped from those who have been convicted of criminal offences, and deal with concerns that a Russian Oligarch has been able to sit in the Lords following the award of a peerage by the Prime Minister.
Similar legislation was enacted over 100 years ago with the Deprivation of Titles Act (1917) which enabled Parliament to remove the title of those who fought against the British in the First World War.
Trending
Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, said: “York is a Human Rights city and residents made it clear to me in February that they wanted the Duke of York title to be removed from Andrew, the Queen’s second son, in the aftermath of revelations about his personal affairs.
“I have heard the city and sought to explore ways that such a title can be removed, however without new legislation this will not be possible.
“Not even the Queen, when she removed all his other titles was able to remove his Dukedom. This legislation will therefore enable either the monarch or a Committee of Parliament to remove titles from disgraced owners of those titles.
“For months now, York as a city has called for its association with Prince Andrew to end. After exploring all other avenues, it is clear that an Act of Parliament is the only way we can achieve this.”
The MP presented the Bill in Parliament today (Monday, 20 June). The Bill is due to receive its Second Reading on Friday 9 December 2022.
Without government backing, it is unlikely to become law.
In April, Prince Andrew was stripped of his Freedom of the City of York in an unprecedented vote by councillors.
It followed him settling the civil sex assault claim against him in February.
Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, made a claim against Prince Andrew for damages in her home country of the US, claiming she was trafficked by Jeffery Epstein, Andrew’s friend, to have sex with the royal when she was 17, a minor under US law.
Prince Andrew denies the claims.