Prince Andrew has faced renewed public outrage after secret emails he sent to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were uncovered and a series of shocking revelations were revealed in his accuser Virgina Giuffre's memoir. Although Andrew announced he'd no longer be using his Duke of York title or other honors, the U.K. public and government leaders alike have called for official parliamentary action to be taken against him—but one legal expert said it's not quite that easy to remove someone from the line of succession.
In his October 17 announcement, Prince Andrew simply wrote that he'd not be using his titles—not that they were taken away. Writing for The Conversation, University of London law lecturer Craig Prescott says that 14 members of parliament have signed a "motion asking the government to take legislative steps to remove Andrew’s dukedom."
However, the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 wouldn't apply today, he says, and new legislation would have to be passed to formally remove Andrew's dukedom.
"When faced with what to do, The King is in a difficult position," Prescott writes. "The monarch must act within the confines of the law—but the law is not designed to easily allow someone to become an ex-royal. The assumption is that all titles and honours are for life."
The King has "difficult" decisions to make in the near future regarding his brother, Prescott writes.
Currently, Prince Andrew is eighth in the line of succession, behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter, Princess Lilibet, who is number seven. Although it's extremely unlikely a situation would ever occur where he would have to take the throne, Prescott writes that in theory, it would be possible—but difficult—to officially remove Andrew from the line of succession.
He says that "such a step would also require the approval of the 14 other countries (including Canada, Australia and Papua New Guinea) that share the British monarch as their head of state."
"Yet, such legislation comes with risks," Prescott writes, warning that any sort of parliamentary action to remove Andrew's titles and privileges could pose issues for other family members.
Prince Andrew has been living rent-free at Royal Lodge for the past two decades, his lease reveals.
"Once introduced into parliament, the palace loses control over the process," the professor explains. "It would be open to MPs to table any amendments and some may wish to extend the legislation to others, including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex."
He adds, "The palace or indeed the government is unlikely to want to open up such a debate."
Prince Andrew stepped down as a full-time working royal in 2019 and stopped using his HRH title following his infamous BBC Newsnight interview regarding Jeffrey Epstein. On October 21, it was reported by the Times that Andrew has been living rent-free at his sprawling Windsor home, Royal Lodge, for the past two decades, and is entitled to live there until 2078.
