York seeks to revoke Prince Andrew’s honorary freedom of the city

Exclusive: Status had almost been forgotten until a former council official tipped off the Guardian

Prince Andrew has been dealt another humiliating blow after the city of York said it planned to revoke his honorary freedom of the city after the settlement of a sexual abuse civil case in the US.

The prince has held the honour since 1987 when it was awarded in a huge civic ceremony at York Minster that attracted crowds of more than 200,000 people.

The event was hugely significant as it marked the first ducal visit to York in 67 years, and came a year after his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, when they became the Duke and Duchess of York.

While efforts have focused on revoking Andrew’s title of Duke of York, his honorary freedom of the city had almost been forgotten until a former council official tipped off the Guardian on Wednesday.

The tipoff prompted York city council staff to search the archives and they confirmed on Thursday night that Andrew still has the honorary freedom of the city.

Councillors said they would seek to revoke that title in a vote at the next full council meeting on 24 March.

Darryl Smalley, a Liberal Democrat councillor and York’s executive member for culture, leisure and communities, said: “Having been stripped of his military roles and royal patronages by the Queen, we are seeking to end Prince Andrew’s links with our great city, including removing his honorary freedom.

“York’s unique connection to the crown and the monarch is an important part of our city’s legacy and history. However, as a council and city, we stand with victims of sexual abuse and are doing all we can to end violence against woman and girls locally.

“As such, it is inappropriate that Prince Andrew retains his ambassadorial title that is intrinsically linked to our city. The allegations and his associations with convicted abusers are incredibly serious and we are determined to explore all options available to ensure that his links to our city are severed.

“I hope councillors across all parties will support the motion to remove Prince Andrew’s honorary freedom of the city of York. Buckingham Palace and the government must then act to remove his Duke of York title. We will be reaching out to MPs to raise our concerns and discuss any possible ways of ending Prince Andrew’s connection to York.”

According to reports at the time, Andrew and his then wife attended the ceremony at York Minster to chants of “We want Fergie”. Every family in the city was given the opportunity to apply for tickets, such was the significance of the event.

The surprise out-of-court settlement, announced on Tuesday, means Prince Andrew makes no admission of guilt over the claims made by Virginia Giuffre, which he had repeatedly denied and only weeks ago vowed to fight in a US civil trial.

The Queen last month stripped Andrew of his military affiliations and royal patronages in an attempt to distance the royal family from the allegations. Nevertheless, he has kept his Duke of York title.

The Queen alone cannot remove titles of peerage. Any attempt to remove the title would have to be led by parliament, through a statute passed by the House of Commons and the Lords.

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, has said she will try to change legislation in the coming weeks to remove the Duke of York’s title.