Prince Andrew must relinquish Duke of York title after reported £12m settlement, city MP demands

Rachael Maskell, who represents York Central, urged Andrew to make giving up the dukedom his "first act of contrition". Similar calls have been made by cabinet members on City of York Council.

Andrew's status as a member of the royal family was left in tatters last month after the Queen stripped him of his honorary military roles and he gave up his HRH style, leaving his dukedom as one of his last remaining titles.

The royal has now agreed to make a “substantial donation” to his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s charity after the pair agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement in her civil sex claim against him.

No detail has been disclosed with regard to the settlement and costs, but it has been reported he has agreed to pay an eight-figure sum and there has been speculation the Queen might help with costs from her private funds.

The Daily Telegraph reported that a deal was agreed at the weekend following at least 10 days of negotiations between the two sides.

The newspaper said the total amount to go to Ms Giuffre and her charity exceeds £12 million, and reported that part will be paid by the Queen.

With no current legal route for him to be stripped of his Duke of York title without Parliament passing new legislation, Ms Maskell said she hoped Prince Andrew would take the decision himself.

Ms Maskell said: “Although it is a relief that Prince Andrew has finally acknowledged and expressed regret for his close association with a convicted sex offender and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, his long delay in doing so and initial response to the charges and Ms.Guiffre have been source of deep hurt and embarrassment to many people across the city.

"Carrying a title does create an ambassadorial relationship with that place, and for somewhere with a global reputation, such as York, this is extremely important.

"It is to be welcomed that he has now pledged to support the fight against the evils of sex trafficking and it’s victims. To demonstrate his seriousness in this endeavour, and his respect for those affected by abuse and the people of our city, I would ask that his first act of contrition is to confirm his support for the withdrawal of his ducal title.

She added: “88 per cent of people in York expressed their desire for the title of ‘duke’, associated with our city, to be removed.

"Currently, there is no legal route by which this can be achieved save for Parliament to pass new legislation to either bestow rights on Her Majesty, The Queen to make such recommendation, as she was able with other titles, or for Parliament itself to make such recommendations, perhaps in response to a petition of residents from a defined geographical location. This is true of a number of geographically-based titles, and therefore it is important that mechanism are in place to achieve this, should this be the will of the people”.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on Tuesday’s legal development, while Andrew’s representatives also declined to say how the donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity would be funded.

Royal finances expert and author David McClure said there is “enormous public interest” in the sum and the source of the funding being disclosed, saying: “I really think for once the royal family should come clean and say where the money came from.”

Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, made a claim against Andrew for damages in her home country of the US, claiming she was trafficked by Epstein, Andrew’s friend, to have sex with the royal when she was 17, a minor under US law.

The settlement agreement states that Andrew will donate to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights and that he has pledged to “demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein” by supporting the “fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims”.

Although the parties have settled the case, the agreement is not an admission of guilt from the duke and he has always strenuously denied the allegations against him.

The settlement has come in the monarch’s historic Platinum Jubilee year, and gives the royal family the chance to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne at the national festivities in June without the threat of Andrew’s trial looming over them.

Royal experts have said it is unlikely Andrew can ever return to public royal life, having been “tainted” by the scandal.

Royal author Penny Junor said the agreement made it appear “as though he (Andrew) has finally been humbled” and is likely to come as a “huge relief” to the rest of the royal family.

She said: “I think the problem with Prince Andrew is he has always seemed to display a sense of entitlement, an arrogance which might lead him to think that he could come back to public life but I think it’s very, very unlikely.”

Media lawyer Mark Stephens, who branded Andrew “reputationally toast”, said the latest legal development has protected the wider royal family from the potential damage of a public trial.

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing a number of Epstein’s victims said she and her clients “salute Virginia’s stunning courage”, hailing the outcome as a “victory”.

However Lady Victoria Hervey, who socialised with the duke in the early 2000s, said she believes the “storyline was crumbling” in reference to Ms Giuffre’s allegations.

The socialite told PA: “I hope the royal family can now focus on the upcoming jubilee celebrations and Prince Andrew can put these false allegations behind him.”

In January, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would be defending the case “as a private citizen”.

He receives a Royal Navy pension and the Queen is also thought to fund him from her £21.7 million a year Duchy of Lancaster income, but the figure she gives him is kept private.

An order published by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in response to the settlement letter, stated that the “stipulation of dismissal” of the case must be filed by March 17, otherwise it “remains entirely possible that this action will be set for trial when previously indicated”.

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