Prince Andrew seems like he can’t get a break. Since the story of his sexual assault dilemma made the news, Andrew has been inundated by pressures from all corners more than he has ever faced as a long-term royal.
Although it took a while, the case seems to have been settled out of court, mainly due to the royal family’s move to stop the stream of invectives and diatribes that were continuously targeted at them at the height of the lawsuit.
However, the case coming to an end did not imply that were no consequences for Prince Andrew. Not only did he have to fork out the settlement money from his own pockets, but he also got stripped from a lot of titles, with the latest being the York Council withdrawal of the “Freedom Of The City” honor.
No More ‘Freedom Of The City’ Honor
Prince Andrew has lost another of his long-held titles because of his sexual assault case, which has tarnished him in the eyes of the media and the public.
The news broke late Wednesday night, after the city council of York, in northern England, voted unanimously to suspend the prince’s “freedom of the city” honor. The honor was given to Andrew in 1987, following Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to bestow on him the title of Duke of York.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Andrew is the first person to lose this position – which is mainly ceremonial and references ancient times when “freemen” had unique rights and enjoyed special honors. Dame Judi Dench and Andrew’s sister, Princess Anne, are among the people who have received the title in the past.
Following the removal of the “Freedom Of The City” honor, Andrew nor his reps have made any comments about the announcement and appear to be more interested in keeping a low profile from the media and public appearances.
The Reason For The Removal
York City Councilor Darryl Smalley explained that those who voted unanimously to revoke Andrew’s “Freedom of the City” honor were inspired by the queen’s previous decision to remove his military and honorary titles.
“She saw that it was doing serious reputational damage to those military institutions and charities and, so stepped in to remove him from those positions,” Smalley told ITV News. “We believe very strongly, and many residents agree with us, that we should be removing all links between our city and Prince Andrew.”
Smalley and other local officials also demanded that Andrew be stripped of the title of Duke of York, claiming that having the prince linked with the honor sullies the city’s good name.
“York has a fantastic relationship with the monarchy going back hundreds of years. It’s something we cherish,” he said of the city. “We can’t cherish it whilst we have Prince Andrew as our most senior royal.”
Prince Andrew’s Royal Titles
While the announcement has further ridiculed the prince, his other previously withdrawn titles have definitely taken a heavier toll on the disgraced prince.
The queen’s second son was forced to step down from all public duties in November 2019 due to the outrage surrounding his sexual assault trial. However, he was still listed on the royal family’s website as a patron or member of around 100 charities and organizations at the time, including hospital trusts, cricket clubs, and schools.
As the case against Andrew progressed, the queen shocked the world by removing Andrew’s honorary leadership of different organizations, known as royal patronages, and forbidding him from using the term “his royal highness” in official contexts.
Subsequently, Andrew’s honorary military titles of colonel of the regiment, deputy colonel-in-chief of the Royal Lancers, colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment, colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, and colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment were all removed from him.
Prince Andrew Might Be Facing A Financial Crisis
Besides his Duke of York title, Andrew’s sole relationship to the royal line now is his genetic composition as a queen’s child. Apart from that, prince Andrew is now seen as an outsider in the royal family and was reportedly teased by palace servants who taunted him with a parody of an old nursery rhyme.
The prince is also facing a financial uphill trying to shake off the loss of a large sum of money used to pay his accuser. It was thought at the time of the settlement that the queen did not provide any financial assistance to aid Andrew and that the money, widely estimated to be 12 million pounds, was paid out of the prince’s own estate.
At this time, it is unknown whether the future would one day be sympathetic to his current sufferings. For the time being, the prince is far away from the royal frontlines and must hide in the shadows of his seclusion.