Legal advisers at the City of London Corporation are preparing a bill that would create a lawful route to remove Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor's Freedom of the City of London.
If approved by the Corporation's elected members, the proposed legislation would enable the former prince to be stripped of the honour, which he was granted in 2012 "by virtue of patrimony" because his father, Prince Philip, was a Freeman.
Earlier this year the Corporation told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the honour could not be revoked. Officials now say they are developing a removal process because there is "currently no effective lawful mechanism to do so." A Corporation spokesperson added: "We understand why people want this matter resolved as quickly as possible, and we share that desire."
Legal Review Finds Existing Process Unworkable
At a meeting of the Court of Common Council on 23 July, Deputy Marianne Fredericks asked for an update on action to remove the title. Deputy Chris Hayward, chair of the Policy committee, said the Comptroller and City Solicitor and the City Remembrancer had produced a draft legal opinion.
The Guildhall, which is home to the City of London Corporation [BBC]
Deputy Hayward said the "provisional gist" of that opinion is that the current disenfranchisement procedure—the historical mechanism for removing the honour—is "defective and defunct." As a result, the court would need to pass an Act of Common Council to confer the power of disenfranchisement on itself before any removal could proceed.
Next Steps And Timeline
Work is under way to finalise and publish the draft bill. The plan is for the bill to go before the Policy and Resources Committee in September and then be considered by the full Court in October. If the Court passes an Act establishing a lawful removal process, a further report would follow in the next cycle, giving elected members the formal opportunity to decide whether to revoke Mountbatten‑Windsor's Freedom.
Deputy Hayward emphasised that the City Solicitor and the Remembrancer view this as "a substantial piece of work with significant constitutional implications" that must be carefully considered to ensure any new process is lawful, practicable and free of unintended consequences.
A Corporation spokesperson said: "The fastest and most appropriate approach is to put in place a lawful process that allows the City Corporation to make these decisions itself, rather than seeking legislation through Parliament. We are progressing that work and, if elected members approve the new process, they will then be able to consider whether Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor's Freedom should be removed."
Reporting for this story was produced by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
