It should not be limited to Prince Andrew’s refusal to use the title of his own free will, but Parliament itself should revoke the royal title, MPs
Staff reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV report
London: British MPs have demanded that the government formally revoke Prince Andrew’s royal titles, as the royal family prepares to deal with a new crisis arising from the upcoming autobiography of Virginia Joffrey, the alleged victim, full of allegations against him.
Prince Andrew’s reputation had already been severely damaged by his friendship with American criminal Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes. Buckingham Palace indicated on Friday that it would no longer tolerate it, and Prince Andrew announced that he would give up his title of ‘Duke of York’ under pressure from King Charles III.
Charles’ son and heir apparent, Prince William, was also consulted on the decision and is expected to further distance his uncle from royal life once he becomes king, possibly even keeping him out of the coronation ceremony.
Prince Andrew, 65, who has always denied any wrongdoing, settled a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit with Virginia Joffrey in 2022.
Virginia Joffrey’s book ‘No Body’s Girl’ revealed that Epstein sent her to Prince Andrew at a young age through human trafficking, and that she was forced to have sex with the prince three times when she was 17. Prince Andrew denies the allegations and claims he never met the woman, but the BBC reported, citing royal sources, that Buckingham Palace is preparing for ‘more painful days’.
The Andrew controversy has long been a source of embarrassment for the royal family, with Joffrey’s book set to be published as King Charles makes a historic visit to the Vatican, where he will pray with Pope Leo, a tradition that is changing after centuries.
Several MPs say it should not be enough for Prince Andrew to not use the title of his own free will, but that Parliament should take action to strip Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, of his royal title.
Rachel Maskell, MP for York, the city after which Andrew was given the title of Duke of York, has introduced a bill that would give the monarch or a parliamentary committee the power to permanently remove the title.
Maskell, an independent MP, said she would write to ministers this week to ask for their support for the bill.
There have also been calls to strip Prince Andrew of his title of ‘Prince’, which he holds as the son of Queen Elizabeth II.
Labour MP George Foulkes wrote to both the House of Lords and the House of Commons on Sunday, calling for a review of the rules governing questions about the royal family in parliament.
According to Foulkes, parliamentary staff have rejected his questions in the past when he wanted to raise questions about Andrew’s role as the UK’s special representative for trade and investment.
Prince Andrew stepped down from this position in 2011 after controversial issues, while in 2019, he also stepped down from official royal duties, returned his ‘HRH’ (His Royal Highness) title and is now limited to attending family events only.
George Foulkes said: “I wanted to know whether they had been given a security briefing, what their real role was, and a few other questions, but I was told that questions about the royal family are forbidden in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.”
He told the Guardian that he was not allowed to do so, but Professor Robert Hazell, a constitutional expert at University College London, says there is no formal ban on questions about the royal family in parliament.
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