Members at the City of London Corporation agreed to write to the former prince “inviting him to formally relinquish the Freedom”
The City of London Corporation’s decision to write to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor requesting he give up his Freedom is “disappointing”, a former British diplomat has said, given it relies on cooperation from the disgraced ex-prince.
Lisa Honan CBE, who was Governor of St Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha from 2016-2019 and is today a City of London guide, said while she is “encouraged” the Corporation recognises the need for action, there is doubt over the reliance on Mr Mountbatten-Windsor himself.
A City of London Corporation spokesperson, when announcing members had agreed to write to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor yesterday (April 16), said any response will be considered at a future meeting.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor received the Freedom of the City of London via patrimony in 2012, having inherited it from his father, Prince Philip, who was a Freeman. Today it is largely a ceremonial honour though continues to be awarded to individuals on a regular basis, with comedian Sir Lenny Henry and actress Cate Blanchett among those to receive it.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles, styles and honours by King Charles last year after more details emerged of his relationship with the paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein.
In February he was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over accusations he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was released under investigation after spending 11 hours in custody. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed in March that the City of London Corporation, which oversees the Freedom, had concluded it could not remove the honour from the former prince.
This position has come under increasing strain over the subsequent weeks, with a senior councillor, Alderwoman Martha Grekos, describing it as “unattainable”.
A group of City of London guides, which includes a former BBC journalist as well as Ms Honan, also wrote to the Corporation proposing various ways in which they believe Mr Mountbatten-Windsor could be stripped of the Freedom.
At a Policy and Resources Committee meeting yesterday Corporation members, in private, agreed to write to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor requesting he relinquish the title.
Responding to this update Alderwoman Grekos said: “The Corporation is at last changing the untenable position it took of not removing the Freedom of the City from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for legalistic reasons that it has never properly explained.
“Its present approach of asking Mountbatten-Windsor to relinquish the Freedom will hopefully work, but questions remain about why it took the Corporation so long to take this simple step.
“I will be monitoring this matter to make sure it doesn’t end up in the long grass, which is a favoured destination of many problems in the Guildhall, like funding for the renovation of its dilapidated social housing estates.”
Ms Honan said: “I’m encouraged that the City recognises the need for action in this case. It is disappointing, however, that any action appears to depend on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor himself.
“Together with a number of fellow City of London guides who are also Freemen, we have looked at how the Freedom has been treated in practice. Our research suggests that, beyond a single modern example—Aung San Suu Kyi in 2020—the City does not appear to have used its powers to revoke the Freedom, irrespective of the way the Freedom was gained.
“Even a quick look at those who hold the Freedom reveals several individuals who have been the subject of reputational controversy without any apparent review or action being taken by the City.
“This points to a lack of a clear and consistently applied procedure across different routes by which the Freedom is granted (including patrimony, award etc.) for reviewing and, where appropriate, revoking it. The case of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor brings this gap into focus.”
A Corporation spokesperson said: “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received the Freedom of the City of London in 2012 by virtue of patrimony, which is inherited as the child of a Freeman and constitutes a legal right.
“Applications via patrimony are not considered or endorsed by our elected Members, and there is no effective legal mechanism to remove this type of Freedom. Elected Members [yesterday] agreed to write to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, inviting him to formally relinquish the Freedom.
“They will consider the response received, if any, at a future meeting and determine what action may be taken.”
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