'The Duke of York does not represent our city'

Prince Andrew has given up the use of his Duke of York title

On Friday, Prince Andrew announced he would be giving up his titles, including the Duke of York.

The decision followed "continued accusations" around his links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, although the royal said he continued to "vigorously deny" the allegations.

Independent MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, has publicly welcomed the decision, adding people in the city had wanted the title to be dropped since the "murky matters" first came to light.

Locals and visitors in York have spoken to the BBC to share their reactions to the news.

'Connection is tenuous'

Peter Gray, 73, says the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew could make people think differently about the Royal Family

Enjoying an autumnal afternoon on a park bench near York Minster, Peter Gray admits the Royal Family is not of great interest to him.

"I would like to see the back of them, although I don't think it will happen in my lifetime," says the 73-year-old, from the Doncaster area.

His views are only strengthened by Prince Andrew's association with Epstein and he believes the public's opinion on the monarchy might also change because of this.

"I'm sure there are more revelations about Prince Andrew to come out and I think that it will be a bad day for the Royal Family," he says.

However, Mr Gray believes the prince giving up his title of Duke of York is "really meaningless".

"They're handed out by the monarch like sweeties to various favoured members of the Royal Family," he adds.

"Andrew's connection to York is very tenuous at best, isn't it? Does he have a house here? Does he have business connections or any other connections here?

"I think they're very, very tenuous."

'Better for city'

Jack Attwell, 26, says the decision is better for the city

Jack Attwell, from Dudley, thinks the decision makes sense for the Royal Family and would help to distance them from controversy.

"I think they're trying to steer themselves away from trouble because he's had allegations for a long time," the 26-year-old says.

"We've got the new Virginia Giuffre book coming out soon and they've not done anything else to try and prove his innocence."

Severing Prince Andrew's connection to York is also positive for the city, according to Mr Attwell.

"It probably is better for the city because I think most people agree that the allegations around him aren't good and that no one really wants to be associated with them."

Although he is not sure if a law should come in to allow royals to be stripped of their titles, Mr Attwell says it would be ideal in some circumstances.

"I think if someone is proven guilty of horrific crimes against people, having something stripped away from them, some form of power, is probably a good idea," he adds.

'Good thing'

Brent Morris and Sharon Thorpe are holidaying in York

Best friends Sharon Thorpe, from Brighton, and Brent Morris, from Los Angeles, are in York for a holiday.

"I think it's a good thing. The public aren't behind him and the monarchy probably understands that," Ms Thorpe says.

"But he hasn't really lost all his titles because he's still a prince at the end of the day," Mr Morris adds.

"In terms of the Duke of York title, how substantial is that versus still being Prince Andrew? I think Sarah Ferguson had more to lose than he did in terms of losing titles."

Prince Andrew's connection to the city is not something the pair really considered on their trip.

"We didn't come to York and think about that, we're just admiring how beautiful this city is," Ms Thorpe says.

"And let's face it, if that was a problem, then look at Sussex, which is where I'm from.

"I don't think it's really impacted York itself."

'About time'

Jenny, who lives near York, is sat chatting with friends about the news.

"I think it's about time and I think he should have considered the institution rather than himself before," she says.

"I think the reason that he gave them up was because he jumped before he was pushed and he's scared of what this book is going to say.

"His judgement has been proven time and time again to not be the best."

Leaders in York have also welcomed the severing of ties with Prince Andrew.

The Lord Mayor of York, Martin Rowley, says: "York is bigger than an entitled prince that happens to share our name."

Meanwhile, council leader Claire Douglas agreed, adding she would like to see "a line drawn under this".

"To be honest, we haven't seen Prince Andrew for many years," she says.

"I have never met him and I think we need to move on from this now and move our city forward.

"Him rescinding that title and it being taken away from him, whatever that process needs to be, is the right thing.

"Then we can get someone else into that role who is going to come and get to know us, represent our city and work with us constructively."

'Clean break'

Maskel said legislation was needed to deal with future instances.

"The bill that I'm proposing would enable any title to be removed, so it would go far further than that," she says.

"We don't want the association with anything to do with Epstein, with this incredible city that we live in.

"The title globally will carry an ambassadorial role behind it, we really don't want people overseas to think that the Duke of York is representative of our city.

"We need that clean break and the sooner that comes the better."

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