Prince Andrew: what the title “Liberty of the City of York” means

Prince Andrew was stripped of the honorary title of the City of York following a vote by local councils.

The motion was passed “unanimously” at a full council meeting, where council members also called on him to relinquish his royal title as part of his out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, he said BBC.

The Liberty of York was given Prince Andrew in 1987 and was “essentially a wedding present after his marriage to Sarah Ferguson the previous year,” he said The guard.

At the time, there was a “large, joyous civic ceremony that drew more than 200,000 people,” the paper said, in stark contrast to their “disgraceful” removal at a gathering some 35 years later that “lasted barely 25 minutes.” .

Darryl Smalley, the Lib Dem Executive for Culture, Leisure and Communities at York Council who proposed the motion, said the move “sends the right message that we stand as a city with abuse victims”. He added: “The next logical step now is for Prince Andrew to relinquish his title of Duke of York.”

Ahead of the scheduled vote, the Duke was contacted by local council officials to update him on the motion. He has so far declined to comment on the matter.

What is freedom of the city?

The Liberty of the City is the highest honor a city can bestow on a person, and is often bestowed “to recognize notable merits of distinguished citizens or important and honored visitors and kings,” the said i news Side? site.

It is believed to derive from a medieval practice in which “liberty from serfdom was granted to citizens who had earned respect,” the paper explained. Since the Local Government Act 1972, councils have been able to bestow the honor of honorary citizenship on “persons of repute and persons who, in the opinion of the council, have rendered outstanding service”.

In the olden days, whoever received the title of honorary citizen was “given control of city commerce, city strays, and grazing rights” as well as “given roles in the city’s administration,” he said Daily Mail.

But in modern times, Freeman is simply an honorary title that confers no special privileges on the bearer. Occasionally, a key is presented to the recipients as a symbolic recognition of honor.

Why was it withdrawn?

The move to deprive Prince Andrew of the honor comes after he achieves a Out of court settlement with Virginia Giuffre in February. This meant he would no longer face a jury trial over allegations of sexually abusing Giuffre when she was a minor. The Duke has always denied the claims.

The settlement is believed to “exceed £12million” and include a £2million contribution to Giuffre’s anti-sex trafficking charity, “which is believed to have been paid for by the Queen,” said The Telegraph.

The removal of the honorary title follows a number of other institutions that have attempted to distance themselves from the Duke in the course of the settlement. The Queen has it too stripped the duke of his military roles and royal patronageincluding using the “His Royal Highness” style.