Prince Andrew: Duke of York could lose title if bill becomes law

Prince Andrew has relinquished all his honorary titles and the use of HRH, but has retained his dukedom

A new bill could be used to strip Prince Andrew of his title as Duke of York if it becomes law, an MP has said.

York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell said there was currently no mechanism to deprive a peer of their title.

She said her bill would address the desire in York for the city to "sever" its ties with the prince.

The call for Prince Andrew to relinquish his title has come in the wake of his out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre in the US.

Ms Giuffre had sued the Duke of York, claiming he sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17 - allegations he has repeatedly denied.

The prince agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to Ms Giuffre in February as part of the settlement.

In January, he gave up his honorary military titles and agreed to no longer use the style HRH.

However he retained his peerages, including the dukedom of York which was granted to him in 1986.

The MP said her constituents wanted to end their links with the prince

Ms Maskell said it had been made clear to her that the city's residents "wanted the Duke of York title to be removed from Andrew, the Queen's second son, in the aftermath of revelations about his personal affairs".

She added: "I have heard the city and sought to explore ways such a title can be removed. However, without new legislation this will not be possible."

Ms Maskell said her Removal of Titles Bill, which was presented to Parliament on Monday, would enable the monarch or a parliamentary committee to remove titles.

"For months now, York as a city has called for its association with Prince Andrew to end," she said.

"After exploring all other avenues, it is clear that an Act of Parliament is the only way we can achieve this."

Ms Maskell said similar legislation was enacted in 1917 to remove the titles of those who fought against the British in World War One.

City of York Council stripped the prince of his Freedom of the City in April.

He had already given up a several patronages in both the city and the county in 2019 after stepping down from royal duties due to his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Ms Maskell's bill is due to receive its Second Reading on 9 December.