A RAFT of cross-party politicians have put fresh pressure on Prince Andrew to be stripped of his Scottish title following his sexual abuse court case with Virginia Giuffre.
The Queen’s son is known as the Earl of Inverness in Scotland but following outcry from English politicians for the prince to lose his title as the Duke of York, similar demands are being made north of the Border.
It comes after he settled a civil sex case in America for a reported £12 million – paid at least in part by money from the Queen – in which he was accused of sexually assaulting Giuffre when she was just a teenager.
Prince Andrew has always denied the claims and made no admission of guilt in the settlement.
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Now, Inverness’s politicians are uniting with new calls for his Scottish title be scrapped to avoid the city being "forcibly associated" with the royal.
SNP councillor Ron MacWilliam told The National: “It was untenable (as I said over two years ago) for Prince Andrew to continue his association with our city and today it is absolutely without question that he must relinquish the title of Earl of Inverness, or preferably that this pointless title be relegated to the dustbin of history.
"It is some small measure of justice for the victims of these atrocities that a financial reparation has been agreed but this story is far from over and we in Inverness will not accept someone of such disreputable character continuing to associate himself with our city at any level.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick agreed, telling The National: “In the context of him losing his other title, people in Inverness are a bit confused that he is suitable for the [Earl of Inverness] title.”
Asked if he should be stripped of his Scottish title, the SNP politician said: “Yes. Personally, I would get rid of those sorts of titles anyway and the monarchy itself, but while we have it, we have to be aware of the difficulties of being forcibly associated with someone who has been accused of the things he has.
From left: Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell
“It’s that feeling of, 'if he wasn’t good enough for [his military titles], why is he good enough to be associated officially with our city'?”
Roddick said, based on the backlash she has witnessed, it seems clear many people in Inverness are unhappy with being linked to the Queen's son.
She added: “I hope he does lose his title but I try not to put too much hope into the establishment doing the right thing – especially when it’s the royals.”
Roddick said she has seen people raise questions about how the money for the Duke of York was sourced: “Is this us bailing out a man purely because the circumstances of his birth?”
Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick called for Prince Andrew's Scottish title to be scrapped
An Act of Parliament at Westminster could be used to strip Andrew of his title.
Meanwhile, there are calls for the royal family to divulge exactly where the money used to settle Prince Andrew's lawsuit is coming from.
Ariane Burgess, Scottish Greens MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said those in Inverness don't want to be associated with the Prince: “My party and I believe that the people of Scotland should be able to elect their head of state.
"I appreciate that some others hold a different view. But, whatever anyone’s position on the monarchy, I am confident that most people in Inverness would want nothing to do with Prince Andrew. I would support any campaign to disassociate him with the city.”
Drew Hendry told The National it was "unthinkable" that Prince Andrew would keep his Scottish title. He suggested most locals agreed with him and called the title "inappropriate" - even if the Queen thinks it should be kept.
And the Inverness Courier reported that the SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, as saying: “If my mailbox is anything to go by, the vast majority of my constituents feel strongly that his association with our city comes to an end.
“When even the Queen believes that it is inappropriate for him to have the privilege of using the many titles he has accumulated, it is unthinkable for him to continue as the Earl of Inverness.”
Prince Andrew has already lost several military titles and royal patronages. He is no longer referred to as His Royal Highness in any official capacity.
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A number of organisations have also cut ties with him including the Inverness Golf Club which dropped his honorary presidency.
SNP Inverness South councillor Ken Gowans added his voice to the growing number of politicians calling for Prince Andrew to have his Scottish title taken away.
He said: “It would be difficult for Prince Andrew to justify the point of retaining the honorary title of the Earl of Inverness, given he is not continuing as a royal in a public role.
"I am not aware of any time the prince has actually visited the city, other than to collect his title."
LibDem councillor Alasdair Christie said: “In light of this horrible situation and the substantial financial settlement made by Prince Andrew, it would seem appropriate to me for Prince Andrew to relinquish the title of Earl of Inverness along with the other titles and patronages that have already been removed.”
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