Amid the scandal after being accused of sexually abusing a minor, Prince Andrew _ by order of Queen Elizabeth II _ lost the title of Royal Highness, his military titles and the entities he sponsored. But now it is questioned whether the second son of the monarch would also have to lose the dukedom of York.
Andrés, 61, reached a confidential financial agreement with Virginia Giuffre who accused him of sexual assault in 2001, avoiding a public trial in New York that would have embarrassed the British royal family.
Giuffre, 38, is one of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of pederasty by a Florida court, who committed suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting another trial for trafficking and child abuse.
Andrés’s friendship with this financier, which he defended in an interview in 2019, caused a scandal that had already forced him to withdraw from public life.
After learning of the financial agreement, which could be about 16 million dollars, the British tabloid press considered that the Duke is “finished” and should live in “ignominy”.
ducal title
Andrés bears the title of Duke from the day of his marriage to Sarah Fergusonon July 23, 1986. This position is traditionally carried by the second son of the monarch and holds it for life.
After the agreement reached by the prince to avoid going to trial, almost two thirds of Britons believe that the queen’s second son should lose his title of Duke of Yorkas revealed by a YouGov survey, details the Daily Mail. In any case, the Royal House has no plans to strip him of the dukedom.
Rachael Maskell, Labor MP for York Central, stated that “wearing a title creates an ambassadorial relationship with that placeAnd for a place with a global reputation, like York, this is extremely important. It is to be appreciated that (Andrés) has now committed to supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking and its victims.”
In this way, he argues that the prince should relinquish his ducal title, to show his seriousness in this effort and his respect for those affected by the abuses and the people of York.
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Maskell said he had met with House of Commons officials to explore ways to force Prince Andrew to relinquish the dukedom. He indicated that if he does not leave it voluntarily, he would seek to have it done in another way, including amending the legislation, in the coming weeks.
Although Elizabeth II stripped Andrés of military titles and sponsorships, the monarch alone cannot remove titles of nobility. Any attempt to strip him of the ducal title would have to be directed by Parliament, through a statute approved by both the House of Commons and the Lords.
In any case, the prince is not expected to participate in the official celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee – the 70th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II-, scheduled for early June.
However, the Duke of York will be seen in public at the end of March along with the rest of the royal family on the occasion of the religious service in memory Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021, to be held at Westminster Abbey, London. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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