abuse scandal
York strips Prince Andrew of honorary citizenship
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. Photo: Swen Pförtner/dpa/archive image
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The next shame for Prince Andrew: The Duke of York is no longer an honorary citizen of the city of York. The reason is Andrew’s previous connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
The municipal council of the northern English city of York has stripped the British Prince Andrew (62) of his honorary citizenship. This was reported by the British news agency PA on Wednesday evening.
The background to the unanimous decision is the role played by Queen Elizabeth II’s second eldest son in the abuse scandal involving the US multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who has since died.
The withdrawal of the honorary citizenship (Freedom of the City of York) has nothing to do with the title “Duke of York” bestowed by the Queen. However, several members of the parish council called for Andrew to lose his title of duke as well. A Labor councilor called the connection between Andrew and the city an “eyesore”.
In mid-February, the prince was able to avert an abuse lawsuit in the United States against himself with a settlement that was probably worth millions. Plaintiff Virginia Giuffre accused him of repeatedly abusing her when she was 17. Andrew denied the allegations. However, he had already had to give up his military ranks and official duties for the royal family.
It wasn’t until the end of March that Andrew took a step back into the public eye. The now frail Queen (96) had chosen him to accompany her to Westminster Abbey for the memorial service for her husband Prince Philip, who died last year at the age of 99. The election had caused great excitement.