The Queen has vowed not to remove Prince Andrew’s Duke of York title after refusing to bow to increasing pressure over her disgraced second son, reports claim.
Her Majesty, 96, will ‘certainly not’ take action to force Andrew, 62, to give up his only remaining title, royal sources say.
The monarch is standing by the duke after he was stripped of the Freedom of the City of York last night – as furious councillors branded him an ‘utter disgrace’ who brings ‘shame and reputational damage everywhere he goes’.
Councillor Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’s executive member for culture, described the Freedom of York as the ‘highest honour’ the city could bestow.
He said: ‘The honour is held by many notable and accomplished people who carry it with pride and responsibly.
‘Having been stripped of his military roles and royal patronages by the Queen, we believe that it is right to remove all links that Prince Andrew still has with our great city.
‘The removal of this honorary title sends the right message that we as a city stand with victims of abuse.’
He has become the first person ever to have the Freedom of the City removed, councillors were told.
The decision was made in the wake of accusations Prince Andrew sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was 17, which he categorically denied.
He made an out of court settlement said to be worth £12million earlier this year.
The lifelong Duke of York title was given to him as a wedding gift in February 1987.
But City of York councillors believe he should now be known as Andrew Windsor in a bid to ‘erase his stain of an association with the city’.
Others have renewed calls for the Queen to step in if he refuses ‘to do the right thing’ and relinquish the title.
However, royal sources say Her Majesty ‘believes the matter to be settled’.
One told the Mirror: ‘The Queen will certainly not take any further action in that regard (to remove his titles).
‘The Duke of York has stepped back from public life and already had a range of titles and associations removed and Her Majesty’s position has not deviated from that.’
Prince Andrew was reportedly reduced to tears after all of his military titles and royal patronages removed with the Queen’s ‘approval and agreement’ in January.
He also agreed to stop using the style ‘His Royal Highness’ in any official capacity – but sparked speculation on social media after an Instagram post, shared on his behalf by ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and later deleted, referred to him as HRH.
However, the Queen alone does not have the power to remove titles of peerage.
Any bid to strip Andrew of the title would have to be led by parliament, with a statute passed by both the House of Commons and Lords.
Kate Middleton has been tipped to replace Andrew as the next Colonel of the Grenadier Guards – the first female to lead the regiment in 80 years.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/OTQSdt5
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