Councillors in York have said they are taking steps to remove Prince Andrew’s Freedom of the City honour.
The Queen’s son was given the Honorary Freedom of the City of York in 1987.
But the Liberal Democrats, who form the largest group on City of York Council, have said they will submit a motion to start the process of removing the honour at the next full council meeting on March 24.
The motion will also call for Andrew to give up his title of the Duke of York in the wake of the out of court settlement in his legal battle with Virginia Giuffre.
There have been widespread calls for the senior royal to give up the dukedom, which is one of his last remaining major titles after the Queen stripped him of his honorary military roles.
He is also no longer able to style himself as His Royal Highness.
Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, has repeatedly called for Andrew to give up his association with the city saying it is causing ‘deep hurt and embarrassment’ to the people who live there.
The honorary freedom of the city is bestowed to recognise notable service by local residents, to distinguished people, and to royalty, the council has said.
Other recipients of the honour include the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill, film composer John Barry, and actress Dame Judi Dench.
Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’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.’
Mr Smalley said the allegations against Andrew were ‘incredibly serious’ as were his ‘associations with convicted abusers’.
He said City of York Council is ‘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,’ he added.
‘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.’
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Andrew ‘regrets his association’ with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a letter submitted to the United States District Court stated.
He has previously strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Andrew has agreed to make a ‘substantial donation’ to Ms Giuffre’s charity after the pair agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement in her civil sex claim against him.
It has not been publicly revealed how much Andrew is paying Ms Giuffre, but the figure has been reported to be as much as £12million.
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