Perhaps the question is not why now, but why it hadn’t happened sooner.

In a move that cements his banishment from royal life, Prince Andrew announced he was relinquishing the use of his royal titles and honors, and would no longer be known as the Duke of York.

The decision, announced Friday, was made in close consultation with Britain’s King Charles III, who is believed to be glad at the outcome, while Prince William and other members of the royal family were also consulted on the discussions, CNN understands.

  • sidelove@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    8 hours ago

    Notice he is still Prince Andrew, which is just about the only title that most people know him by.

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    6·
    7 hours ago

    So who gets to be the new Duke of York? Does it go back to the monarchy or Parliament or whatever for reassignment, or simply enter some sort of succession system?

    Do the people of York just have to go without a lord?

    EDIT: Apparently his daughters can’t inherit it via succession:

    https://blog.lineofsuccession.co.uk/p/why-the-dukedom-of-york-is-rarely-inherited-tradition-circumstance-and-royal-evolution

    Why the Dukedom of York Is Rarely Inherited: Tradition, Circumstance and Royal Evolution

    The Dukedom of York is among the most prestigious titles in British royal history, yet it has seldom passed from father to son in the manner of other hereditary peerages. This recurring disappearance has fueled the misconception that the title cannot be inherited. In fact, the Dukedom is fully legal and hereditary—its unusual track record stems from repeated lack of male heirs or holders ascending the throne.

    • Legal Inheritance Applies: The title is created with the standard remainder to “heirs male of the body lawfully begotten.” There is no gender flexibility, and daughters cannot inherit.
    • Repeated Childlessness Among Dukes: Many holders died without legitimate male issue. For example, none of the eighteenth-century York and Albany dukes lived to father sons, and Prince Andrew’s daughters cannot inherit under current rules.

    EDIT2: It sounds like in effect, he stays the Duke of York and just doesn’t advertise the fact:

    https://www.eonline.com/news/1423998/prince-andrew-royal-titles-who-is-new-duke-of-york

    However, a royal expert explained that the moniker isn’t immediately bestowed upon someone else.

    “It’s possible that in the future someone may be granted Andrew’s now former titles,” Sharon Carpenter exclusively told E! News. “But under current rules, a dukedom follows male-line succession. Andrew doesn’t have a son and it won’t be passed to his daughters.”

    She added, “It would likely revert to the Crown when he dies and at that point the monarch could regrant the title to someone else.”

    Sharon also noted that while the former Duke of York “will stop using that title and others in any official capacity,” the move is actually “largely symbolic” for now.

    “Removing his dukedom officially would legally require an act of Parliament and would be more complex than this immediate action,” she continued. “For Andrew to be legally stripped of his dukedom before his death, it would require statutory action—a vote by Parliament.”