Government Blocks Debate; Palace Weighs Andrew's Lodge

MPs and members of the public are demanding Prince Andrew be stripped of his dukedom and removed from the taxpayer-linked Royal Lodge after Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir revived allegations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has agreed not to use the Duke of York title, but only an Act of Parliament can formally remove a dukedom. Liberal Democrats and other MPs sought government time for a substantive Commons debate or legislation, but Downing Street refused to allocate time in the Commons timetable, saying the Royal Family would not want to divert attention from other issues. Calls for scrutiny are growing — including a proposed select committee inquiry and planned correspondence from the Public Accounts Committee to the Crown Estate and HM Treasury over Andrew’s peppercorn rent — and Buckingham Palace is reportedly in talks with Andrew amid claims he has not paid meaningful rent for more than two decades, with sources saying the King may insist Andrew leave Royal Lodge. Andrew says he holds a “cast-iron lease” and may seek compensation or alternative accommodation. The row has been intensified by reports of paid PR efforts to discredit Giuffre and by Andrew’s 2022 settlement and ongoing denials; Commons authorities say there is no outright ban on debating royal conduct if government time is granted for a substantive motion.