The City of London Corporation has announced it will formally express its disapproval of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after the former prince failed to respond to a letter requesting he relinquish his Freedom of the City of London honour. The Corporation had written to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor on April 16, urging him to voluntarily give up the ceremonial title, but has received no reply as of yet.
Motion of Censure Approved in Private
Members of the influential Policy and Resources Committee met in private last week and agreed to bring forward a motion of censure against Mr Mountbatten-Windsor. In an email sent to all Corporation members and obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Policy Chairman Deputy Christopher Hayward described the motion as “a formal expression of our disapproval.” The motion will be presented at the next meeting of the Court of Common Council, scheduled for May 21.
Deputy Hayward’s email noted that the Corporation’s thoughts “remain firmly with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and all those affected by his appalling crimes.” He reiterated that there is currently no effective legal mechanism to remove a Freedom of the City honour, which is why a censure motion was deemed the appropriate course of action.
Criticism from Senior Councillor
Alderwoman Martha Grekos, a senior councillor who has raised concerns about the Corporation’s handling of the matter, argued that the censure motion is insufficient. “The proposed motion of censure, which will soon be forgotten, leaves Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in possession of the Freedom of the City of London for the rest of his life,” she said. “The City Corporation should do better for Epstein’s victims. It says it’s difficult to remove the Freedom, but that’s not the same as impossible. And why not cut through the difficulty by asking a willing Parliament to legislate for the removal?”
Background on the Freedom Honour
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor received the Freedom of the City of London by patrimony in 2012, inheriting it from his father, Prince Philip. The honour is largely ceremonial today but is still awarded to notable individuals, including comedian Sir Lenny Henry and actress Cate Blanchett. However, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles, styles, and honours by King Charles last year after further details of his relationship with convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein emerged. In February, he was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. He spent 11 hours in custody and was released under investigation, denying any wrongdoing.
Pressure from Guides and Councillors
The LDRS revealed in March that the City of London Corporation had concluded it could not remove the Freedom from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor under existing rules. This position has faced increasing scrutiny from senior councillors and a group of City of London guides, including a former BBC journalist and an ex-diplomat. The guides proposed alternative methods for stripping the honour, but the Corporation maintained its stance.
At a Policy and Resources Committee meeting last month, members privately agreed to write to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor requesting he relinquish the title. After receiving no response, the committee agreed to the censure motion at its meeting on May 7.
Corporation’s Official Statement
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: “We wrote to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in April inviting him to formally relinquish his Freedom of the City of London. Following his failure to respond, elected members of our Policy and Resources Committee have agreed to bring forward a motion of censure – a formal expression of our disapproval – to the next meeting of the Court of Common Council on May 21. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received the Freedom in 2012 by virtue of patrimony, as the child of a Freeman. There is currently no effective legal mechanism to remove a Freedom. Our thoughts remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.”
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