Legal officials are drafting a bill to create a lawful process to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his final remaining honour, the Freedom of the City of London, according to 1news. The governing body of the ceremonial county previously stated that the ancient tribute could not be revoked because there was no effective lawful mechanism to do so
as reported by 1news.
City of London Moves to Strip Final Honour
Mountbatten-Windsor received the honorary title in 2012 by virtue of patrimony
because his late father, Prince Philip, had been a freeman, noted lbc.co.uk. In April, the City of London Corporation wrote to Mountbatten-Windsor to ask him to give up the award voluntarily, but he failed to respond, according to uk.news.yahoo.com. Following his failure to surrender the honour, the corporation passed a motion of censure in May expressing profound disappointment
reported uk.news.yahoo.com.
Policy Chair Deputy Chris Hayward told a meeting of the Court of Common Council that a draft legal opinion produced on the matter indicates the current mechanism to remove the honour is defunct, and that an internal law could be passed to grant the Court the power of disenfranchisement, stated lbc.co.uk. A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation stated, We understand why people want this matter resolved as quickly as possible, and we share that desire,
as published by 1news. The spokesperson added that the corporation prefers to put in place its own lawful process rather than seeking legislation through Parliament according to uk.news.yahoo.com.
Timeline and Legislative Process
The draft bill is scheduled to go before the Policy and Resources Committee in September, and if approved, it will proceed to the Court of Common Council in October, according to lbc.co.uk. If elected members approve the new process, they will then consider whether Mountbatten-Windsor’s freedom should be officially removed, reported Nine.com.au.
The Freedom of the City of London is an ancient tradition dating back to 1237, originally granting individuals the right to trade without feudal restrictions, noted ibtimes.co.uk. While feudalism was abolished in 1660, the award endures as a symbolic recognition bestowed upon people with strong ties to London or those who have contributed significantly to public life, according to Nine.com.au.
Broader Scrutiny and Arrest
The efforts by the City of London follow mounting pressure after King Charles III formally stripped his brother of his birth title of prince and his dukedom in October 2025 over his past association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reported Nine.com.au. Mountbatten-Windsor also voluntarily stopped using his legal title of Duke of York, according to ibtimes.co.uk.
In February, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy, stated Nine.com.au. He was taken into custody on February 19 on his 66th birthday and later released under investigation, according to Nine.com.au and lbc.co.uk. No charges have been laid, and Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied all wrongdoing, reported Nine.com.au.
