Following his announcement that he would step back from public royal roles in late 2019/early 2020, the House of Commons and its members began to publicly question the accountability and oversight of members of the royal family. Several MPs raised concerns over Prince Andrew’s continued benefits from the Crown Estate, his security protection funded by taxpayers, and the lack of transparency around his finances and relationships—especially given his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Commons, traditionally reticent to query royal affairs, saw backbenchers and opposition figures press for measures such as parliamentary debate on his conduct and the possibility of formal motions to strip his titles.
While the government repeatedly declined to initiate formal debate or legislation at that time, citing constitutional convention and the royal family’s desire to handle internal matters, the pressure in the Commons continued to build. MPs from multiple parties proposed or supported private-member bills aimed at enabling Parliament to remove titles and honours from royalty, and select-committee scrutiny was mooted around his lease of the 30-room Windsor residence, Royal Lodge. In essence, the Commons signalled a shift: even if direct action was deferred, the principle that royals should not be completely shielded from political accountability had gained ground.
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