Change the rules so King can strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom, MP says
A senior backbench MP has called on parliament to increase the King’s powers so Prince Andrew can be permanently stripped of his titles.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell said the disgraced royal family had a relationship with the city, saying it was “clearly a human rights city with high values and standards”.
And he cited a poll that found the vast majority of residents wanted his title of Duke of York to be formally removed. He was forced to voluntarily give up his titles, but the only way Andrew can be completely rid of them is through an act of parliament.
And Ms Maskell said the monarch should be given the power to formally remove royal titles “not just for this event, but for any future event, even any title, including nobility”.
He told BBC Radio 4 Today program: “I did not come to parliament to discuss princes and princesses.
“However, a simple clause can be added to a constitutional draft or a private member’s bill; this takes little time but gives the monarch greater powers to carry out these duties in the future.
“We have seen the pain, we have heard the pain, and we are learning more from the victims and survivors. As a result, I think it would be appropriate to introduce legislation regarding this incident.”
Despite being stripped of his HRH title and public offices by his late queen mother, Andrew reinstated any remaining honors he held.
This comes just days before the release of a memoir by his late alleged victim Virginia Giuffre, who Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case, and follows revelations that Andrew had held three meetings with a senior Chinese Communist Party official at the center of the Chinese spy case scandal.
Ms Maskell said “any association with disgusting individuals like Epstein” could be resolved with her suggestions. Left-wing Labor MP Nadia Whittome said: “It should be accepted that the State strips Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles rather than allowing him to voluntarily disavow them and hide behind empty-mouthed statements incriminating his accusers.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn also said Ms Giuffre’s life had been “ruined” by Epstein. Telegram“I will not sit quietly; if it takes an act of Parliament to strip the likes of Peter Mandelson and Prince Andrew of their titles, then the Labor Government has no excuse as to why this has not happened immediately.”
But when asked whether ministers should intervene to ensure Andrew is stripped of all his titles, Bridget Phillipson said it was “not a matter for the government”.
he said today schedule: “We will be guided by the royal family on this, and I think the royal family will want Parliament to continue to devote its time to our wider legislative programme, but we will be guided by the monarch.
“Therefore, we support the statement made and the action taken. But of course Prince Andrew carries the title of Prince because he is the son of a monarch, and we are in that position.”
How could Parliament strip Andrew of his titles?
Parliamentary experts said the process of stripping Andrew of his titles could be done relatively quickly with a short piece of legislation.
The two-article 2022 bill, which appoints state advisors to the Princess Crown and Prince Edward, won royal assent in about 20 days, with debates in the House of Lords and the House of Commons lasting less than an hour each.
The precedent for royals to be stripped of their titles was set by the 1917 Deprivation of Royal Titles Act, which stripped royal titles from those who supported Germany in the First World War.
