Have the royal family done enough with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was once known as Prince Andrew and the Duke of York?
ANDREW PIERCE: Parliament must seriously consider doing THIS to disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
For years, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has clung to the remnants of his royal status, sheltered in the cocoon of titles and privileges that should have long been set aside. Yet Westminster has been tiptoeing around the question no one dares to state plainly: should Parliament step in and formally strip him of his remaining royal titles and public status?
It is a debate that grows louder by the month. While Buckingham Palace continues its delicate dance of distancing without detonating, MPs and peers are increasingly confronted with the uncomfortable truth that Andrew’s situation has become more than a private embarrassment — it is a constitutional irritant. He remains, on paper, the Duke of York and a Counsellor of State, positions that carry symbolic weight even if he is no longer deployed in any official capacity.
Critics argue that leaving those titles intact sends exactly the wrong message at a time when the monarchy is desperate to modernise and protect its credibility. Supporters of reform say Parliament already has the power — and perhaps the responsibility — to legislate where the Palace cannot act alone. After all, hereditary styles and ancient statutes should not override contemporary standards of public accountability.
But the real question is not whether such action would be unprecedented. It is whether failing to act allows the institution to drift into passive tolerance. Andrew may have stepped back from public life, but the shadow he casts continues to fall across the monarchy.
If the Crown will not move, Parliament may soon feel it must. The country deserves clarity — and the monarchy deserves the chance to move forward unburdened.
If the unimaginable happened and there was an accident involving the King, the Prince of Wales and his family, suddenly Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is in line to be King.Unacceptable. Nobody wants it.
