Ex-Prince Andrew Faces Another Setback As He Could Now Lose His Last Remaining Honor
The ancient civic title inherited by Andrew from Prince Philip may soon be withdrawn.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s embarrassments might be approaching their most symbolic and final finish yet. Long stripped of public duties, military roles, and his home, Royal Lodge, the disgraced former royal is now facing the likely loss of his last surviving honor, a civic title older than the monarchy itself. If removed, it would mark another administrative decision, a final erasure from ceremonial Britain.
This honor is the Freedom of the City of London, one of the world’s most ancient civic honors. While layers of procedural red tape have so far kept the title intact, pressure is rapidly building behind the scenes to sever even that final tie. City of London Corporation bosses have reportedly held crisis talks on whether Andrew can be compelled to relinquish the honor, amid mounting concern over what it now represents. The Freedom is not only a casual token. It places Andrew in rare company alongside figures such as Sir David Beckham, Sir Richard Branson, and JK Rowling. Its quirky privileges include the ceremonial right to drive sheep across London Bridge and to carry a sword within the City’s boundaries.
The complication is rooted in how the disgraced former Prince got the honor. Unlike most recipients whose nominations are debated and voted upon, he inherited the Freedom through patrimony as the son of a Freeman. His late father, Prince Philip, had previously been granted the honor, and Mountbatten Windsor received it as a birthright rather than through civic deliberation. That technicality has left the Corporation facing a rare constitutional puzzle. Philip’s Freedom of the City was because of public service, institutional loyalty, and a lifetime spent reinforcing the architecture of the monarchy. While his son inherited the same honor, his legacy has moved in the opposite direction, from proximity to power to near-total detachment from public legitimacy.
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said: “Andrew received the honor by virtue of patrimony, which is inherited as the child of a Freeman. ‘Applications via patrimony are not considered by our elected members.’ “The City Corporation is listening and will continue to listen to concerns raised. ‘And it will carefully consider the rules that govern how a Freedom is given and the circumstances in which, and procedure by which, it can be removed.’”
The past month alone has delivered the sharpest contraction of Mountbatten Windsor’s public standing yet. In a strict move, King Charles removed 'the Style, Titles and Honours' of the former Duke of York, stripping him of his remaining military affiliations and royal patronages in one sweep. Andrew no longer holds ranks linked to the Army, Navy, or Air Force, roles he once wore as symbols of prestige and authority. His HRH styling was also effectively retired from official use, ending even the formal courtesies attached to royal status. With that intervention, decades of ceremonial positioning were undone in weeks. And now, against that backdrop, the Freedom of the City is the only surviving public decoration, and its possible removal would complete the one-month wipeout of Andrew’s official identity.
