Prince Andrew suffers blow as York residents demand disgraced duke is stripped of his royal title

The royal became the eighth peer to hold the noble title, created in 1385 and traditionally granted to the second son of the British monarch.

However, over 70 per cent of people in York believe Prince Andrew should be stripped of his Duke of York title, according to a GB News investigation.

The survey found that 71 per cent felt he should be stripped of his title, despite Buckingham Palace previously confirming it has no plans to do so.

The data, which was gathered from 100 people in the streets of York, also revealed that only eight per cent of adults asked believed Andrew should keep the historic royal title, while the other 21 per cent had no view.

One local in the city of York told GB News: "We shouldn't be celebrating him in York in any shape or form."

Another passerby added: "His reputation taints the city, of course it does."

One man in York told the People's Channel that it would be "very un-British to strip him of his titles."

A second man argued that royal titles should not reflect places within the UK and suggested Andrew was "not deserving" of the title.

He said: "They're not relevant to me. The Prince of Wales has never lived in Wales [and] the Duke of York has never lived in York. If there was a Duke of York, he should be from York and born in York."

Another man said: “I think he's an absolute disgrace. He taints the Royal Family.”

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Politicians in York have also weighed in on the debate.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, told GB News that she believes that the Duke of York's title should be removed to “discontinue” his association with the city.

She told the People's Channel: "I do believe that the removal of the title of Duke would be an appropriate step.

"York is a city of international standing with strong ethical values, and therefore the continuity of this title brings reputational disregard to the values of our city so its association should be discontinued.

"Having looked into this matter, this would require a change in the law, as we saw, the late Queen did not hold powers to remove the title, when she removed the other titles and appointments he had."

Luke Charters, Labour MP for York Outer, told GB News that York residents should be considered on the issue.

He said: “It’s a matter for the Royal Family as to whether Prince Andrew should give up the title.

"I hope the Royal Family consider the feelings of York residents on this issue. “

It is understood that the King cannot remove his brother's royal title, as the power to grant and remove peerage titles resides with Parliament, not the monarch.

In 2019, Andrew sat down for an infamous BBC Newsnight interview, in which he discussed his previous friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, leading to widespread public backlash and forcing the duke to step back from royal working duties.

Queen Elizabeth stripped Prince Andrew of his military titles and patronages two years later in 2022, just months before her passing, meaning the duke can no longer be called His Royal Highness, or HRH, in an official capacity.

The disgraced duke, who served 22 years in the Royal Navy and as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War, faced fresh controversy last year after it emerged he had links to an alleged Chinese 'spy'.

The royal has said he "ceased all contact" with a businessman and denies any wrongdoing.

While Prince Andrew, who stepped down from royal working duties following the interview, has lost his military titles and the "His Royal Highness" title, he still retains his title as the Duke of York and remains eighth in the line of succession to the throne.

GB News has contacted representatives for the Duke of York for a comment.