PRINCE Andrew could be stripped of his Honorary Freedom of the City of York.

Liberal Democrat councillors in York say they are exploring arrangements for removing the honorary title given to Prince Andrew in 1987.

They say a motion to begin the process of removing the honour and to call for Prince Andrew to relinquish his title as Duke of York will be submitted at the next full council meeting on March 24.

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said the move followed calls made for Prince Andrew to relinquish his Duke of York honour in the wake of the sexual assault case brought against him, which has now been settled out of court.

Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing.

The Lib Dems said the honorary freedom is bestowed by the city to recognise notable service by local residents, to distinguished people and to royalty.

Previous recipients of the honour include the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill, John Barry, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Janet Baker, Professor Sir Ron Cooke, Dr Peter Addyman and Dr Richard Shephard.

Councillor Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’s executive member for culture, leisure & communities, said: “Having been stripped of his military roles and royal patronages by the Queen, we are seeking to end Price Andrew’s links with our great city, including removing his Honorary Freedom.

“York’s unique connection to the Crown and the Monarch is an important part of our city's legacy and history.

"However, as a council and city, we stand with victims of sexual abuse and are doing all we can to end violence against woman and girls locally.

"As such, it is inappropriate that Prince Andrew retains his ambassadorial title that is intrinsically linked to our city.

"The allegations and his associations with convicted abusers are incredibly serious and we are determined to explore all options available to ensure that his links to our city are severed.

“I hope councillors across all parties will support the motion to remove Prince Andrew’s Honorary Freedom of the City of York. Buckingham Palace and the Government must then act to remove his Duke of York title.

"We will be reaching out to MPs to raise our concerns and discuss any possible ways of ending Prince Andrew’s connection to York.”