Skip to main content
On Air Now
Listen Now

7pm to 10pm

Listen Now

7pm to 10pm

Bill to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his Freedom of the City of London is being drafted by legal officials

Legal chiefs are reviewing the rules to create a process for removal as there is currently "no effective lawful mechanism to do so"

Share

Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, (Mountbatten-Windsor), visits the town of Tadcaster in North Yorkshire to see the damage caused by flooding.
The draft bill, if approved, would enable councillors to revoke the Freedom directly without appealing to Parliament. Picture: Alamy

By Issy Clarke

A bill to revoke Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Freedom of the City of London honour is being drawn up by legal officials.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The ancient honour dates back to 1237 and is granted to notable public figures from celebrities to sports stars and royalty.

The former prince received the honorary in 2012 by "virtue of patrimony" because his father, Prince Philip, had been a Freeman.

In March, the City of London Corporation, which governs the Square Mile and is responsible for bestowing the honour, said it could not be removed.

However legal chiefs are now reviewing the rules to create a process for removal as there is currently "no effective lawful mechanism to do so".

Read more: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor invited to give up freedom of City of London

Read more: Crown Estate claims Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Royal Lodge subletting deal offered 'best value'

Prince Andrew, Duke of York at Trooping the Colour 2016 in The Mall London, UK. Prince Andrew in suit and top hat in carriage. People
The former prince received the honorary in 2012 by "virtue of patrimony" because his father, Prince Philip, had been a Freeman. Picture: Alamy

The draft bill, if approved, would enable councillors to revoke the Freedom directly without appealing to Parliament.

A spokesperson for the Corporation said: "We understand why people want this matter resolved as quickly as possible, and we share that desire."

The Corporation had initially stated it was not possible to strip the title because Andrew had inherited it from his father.

However in May, members voted to instruct officers to investigate a mechanism for removing the title.

Sandringham, UK. 25th Feb, 2026. General view of Marsh Farm. Marsh Farm is just along the road from Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is staying.
Marsh Farm , on the Sandringham Estate, where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is staying. Picture: Alamy

It came amid mounting pressure after the King stripped his remaining royal titles of prince and Duke of York last year as controversy continued to swirl around his relationship with the convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew is now living in Norfolk while police investigate allegations of misconduct in public office.

He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February and then released under investigation.

Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Policy Chair Deputy Chris Hayward told a meeting of the Court of Common Council, the corporation's primary decision making body, on Thursday that a draft legal opinion had been produced on the matter.

He said the "gist" was that the current mechanism to remove the honour was "defunct" and that the Court could pass an internal law to grant itself the power of disenfranchisement.

A draft bill will go before the Policy and Resources Committee in September and then to the Court in October, he confirmed.

If members approve the Act, a report produced in the "next cycle" will create the opportunity to remove the Freedom.