Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Asked to Relinquish Freedom of the City of London

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has been formally invited by the City of London Corporation to relinquish his Freedom of the City of London honour, one of the last formal distinctions he retains following the removal of his royal titles and military affiliations.

The invitation comes after elected members of the Corporation agreed to write to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, requesting that he formally give up the honour he received in 2012 by virtue of patrimony, due to his father Prince Philip having been a Freeman of the City.

The Freedom of the City of London is an ancient tradition believed to date back to 1237, historically granting recipients the right to carry out their trade in the City and, symbolically, to walk sheep over London Bridge without paying a toll. While the practical privileges have long since lapsed, the honour remains a formal recognition of civic contribution.

Although the honour is now typically awarded to individuals nominated by councillors — with recipients including Sir Lenny Henry and Cate Blanchett — Andrew’s was granted through inheritance, a pathway the Corporation’s elected members do not endorse.

A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation stated: “Applications via patrimony are not considered or endorsed by our elected members, and there is no effective legal mechanism to remove this type of freedom.”

Elected members have today agreed to write to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, inviting him to formally relinquish the freedom.

City of London Corporation spokesperson

The Corporation added that it will consider any response received from the Prince at a future meeting and determine what action may be taken.

The development follows a broader reassessment of Andrew’s formal honours in the wake of scrutiny over his association with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He was stripped of his royal titles, styles, and honours by King Charles last year after further details of that relationship emerged.

Prior to this, Andrew had already lost the Freedom of the City of York in 2022 after councillors voted to remove the honour, which had been granted to him and Sarah Ferguson as a wedding present in 1987. At the time, he became the first person ever to have that particular honour taken away.

All of Andrew’s siblings, including King Charles III, continue to hold the Freedom of the City of London, having received it through similar hereditary means.

The Prince was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, adding to the mounting pressure on his public role amid ongoing investigations into his conduct and associations.

As one of the last remaining formal honours linked to his public identity, the Freedom of the City of London now stands at the centre of a renewed debate about the appropriateness of retaining such distinctions amid serious allegations.