Pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew as the Scottish National Party (SNP) intensifies efforts to strip him of his remaining royal titles once and for all.
Despite stepping back from using his titles, Andrew still legally retains them and only an Act of Parliament can make their removal official.
Frustrated by what they’ve dubbed a “stubbornly slow” response from Westminster, the SNP has vowed to push Sir Keir Starmer’s government into action.
“If the Westminster parties remain stubbornly slow in removing Prince Andrew’s titles, the SNP will do all we can to force them to act,” said SNP MP Stephen Flynn, insisting that token gestures will no longer satisfy public anger.
The push to strip him of his remaining royal titles has intensified, as SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Starmer’s government to stop “dragging its feet” and act decisively.
“Prince Andrew’s titles can only be removed by an Act of Parliament,” Flynn reminded, “so this motion is designed to pile pressure on the UK Labour government to bring forward that legislation immediately.”
He didn’t hold back, questioning the Prime Minister’s hesitation, “The only real question is, what is Keir Starmer’s government waiting for? The public knows this is the right thing to do and even more importantly, the victims at the heart of the Epstein scandal know it’s the right thing to do."
Flynn went on to say that those implicated in the Epstein network had “hidden behind their power and privilege for too long,” adding that if Labour refused to act, they would be choosing to “sit on their hands” over a matter of justice and accountability.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell has renewed her call for Parliament to take decisive action on Prince Andrew’s titles, arguing that the King should be granted formal powers to remove them.
“Having sought to change the law through my Removal of Titles Bill, I now think it’s time for this legislation to move forward,” Maskell said.
The York Central MP whose constituency bears the Duke of York’s title stressed that the association is deeply inappropriate. “
I have long called for the title of Duke of York to be removed, given that it carries an ambassadorial connection to our city,” she explained.
“York is England’s only UN Human Rights City and stands for a higher set of values and when polled, 80 percent of York residents voted for the title’s removal.”
Downing Street, however, appeared to place the responsibility squarely with Buckingham Palace.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that any legislation to formally strip the Duke of his titles was “a matter for the palace in the first instance,” adding that ministers would “support the judgment of the King.”
He also acknowledged the gravity of the wider scandal, noting that the Prime Minister’s “thoughts are very much with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein who suffered and continue to suffer.”
