Four out of five Britons support formally stripping Prince Andrew of his dukedom, according to a new YouGov poll, as pressure mounts on the King's brother over his Royal Lodge residence. The survey of nearly 6,700 adults found 80% back official removal of the Duke of York title, with 63% "strongly" in favour and 17% "somewhat" supporting the idea.
Andrew announced last week he would stop using his Duke of York title to avoid distracting from royal work, but the poll shows public appetite for formal action goes beyond voluntary relinquishment. Only legislation can strip the prince of the title, so it currently remains held in abeyance.
The prince's connections to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have dominated headlines for days, with renewed focus on sex accuser Virginia Giuffre's allegations following publication of her posthumous memoirs. Andrew vehemently denies Giuffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with him three times, including when she was 17.
Royal Lodge lease controversy
Fresh scrutiny has emerged over Andrew's residence arrangements at the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor Great Park. Crown Estate documents show the prince signed a 75-year lease in 2003, paying £1 million upfront and since then just "one peppercorn" of rent "if demanded" per year.
Andrew was also required to pay £7.5 million for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to the National Audit Office. The lease agreement contains a clause requiring the Crown Estate to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he voluntarily surrenders the lease.
Political pressure intensifies
Senior Conservative Robert Jenrick said it was "about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private" as "the public are sick of him". The shadow justice secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't think the taxpayer in any way should be footing the bill for him to live in luxury homes ever again."
Ben Mayfield, a law lecturer at Lancaster University, warned that ending the prince's lease early would prove problematic. He said: "Ending a lease - even though this is quite a cheap deal for Andrew - would be the same in English law as asking someone to forfeit their house for no money and that's a difficult precedent to set."
Parliamentary oversight considered
MPs could examine the Crown Estate's handling of Andrew's lease arrangement, with concerns raised about potential lost revenue to public finances. Dame Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Treasury Committee, said Parliament has a responsibility to scrutinise where taxpayers' interests are involved.
The Public Accounts Committee said its inquiry programme was "currently full up until the new year" but would decide "in due course" whether to investigate the Royal Lodge matter. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said Andrew "should show some contrition by returning every penny of rent that he's not paid while disgracing his office".
Giuffre's perspective emerges
Virginia Giuffre would have viewed Andrew relinquishing his Duke of York title as a victory, according to Amy Wallace, co-writer of Giuffre's memoirs. Wallace told BBC Newsnight: "Virginia wanted all the men who she'd been trafficked to against her will to be held to account and this is just one of the men but… even though he continues to deny it, his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour as it should be."
Giuffre's brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have called on the police watchdog to review the Metropolitan Police's decision not to continue investigating her allegations against Andrew. Meanwhile, campaign group Republic unveiled banners reading "End Royal Secrecy" outside Royal Lodge gates, demanding a "full, unrelenting investigation" into royal links to Epstein.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
