A bombshell new YouGov poll has shown that 80% of the British public want Andrew to be formally stripped of his Duke of York title – while calls are growing for him to leave the Royal Lodge
Four out of five people want Prince Andrew to be formally stripped of his dukedom, a new poll has revealed.
Pressure is growing on Andrew to give up his Royal Lodge mansion following the release of accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir – while there there are also calls for him to be stripped of his dukedom after he agreed to stop referring to himself as the ‘Duke of York’ last week.
However, only an act of parliament can formally strip the prince of his title – a move that appears to be supported to the majority of the British public.
The new YouGov survey showed that 63% of nearly 6,700 adults questioned were “strongly” in favour of formal removal of the dukedom and 17% “somewhat” supporting the idea, while 6% were opposed to it – 4% somewhat and 2% strongly – and 14% did not know.
Prince Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations made against him by the late Virginia Giuffre.
A copy of the Royal Lodge leasehold agreement, shared with the PA news agency by the Crown Estate, which oversees the royal family’s land and property holdings, meanwhile showed Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the Windsor mansion in 2003.It reveals he paid £1million for the lease, and that since then he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year. He was also required to pay a further £7.5million for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.
Ben Mayfield, a lecturer in law at Lancaster University whose primary research interests are land and property law, said it would likely prove problematic to end the prince’s 75-year lease early.He said: “I have no sympathy with the actions he is alleged to have taken, but 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.MPs could also look into the Crown Estate’s handling of Andrew’s lease.
Labour peer Dame Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Treasury Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Where money flows, particularly where taxpayers’ money is involved, or taxpayers’ interests are involved, Parliament has a responsibility to have a light shine upon that, and we need to have answers.”The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which examines the value for money of Government projects, programmes and service delivery, said its programme of inquiries was “currently full up until the new year” and that decisions on the Royal Lodge lease were a policy matter for the Royal Household, but it would decide in “due course” whether to look at the matter.
Downing Street pointed to the 2005 National Audit Office report, saying the public spending watchdog had not raised concerns about the Royal Lodge arrangements.A No 10 spokesman said: “The National Audit Office reviewed the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge in 2005. And in its report, which was published at that time, concluded that the Crown Estate does not have any special procedures when negotiating agreements with the royal family.“An independent evaluation concluded that the transaction with Prince Andrew and Royal Lodge was appropriate.”