Prince Andrew, Duke of York, recently announced he will no longer use his titles or honours, but legally he retains them. Despite speculation, he has not been stripped of or relinquished his peerages—Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh—which were granted in 1986 in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. British peerages are extremely difficult to remove or disclaim; the only legal way for an individual to disclaim a peerage is under the Peerages Act 1963, which does not apply to newly created titles like Andrew’s. The monarch cannot unilaterally remove peerages; only an Act of Parliament can do so, as established since Magna Carta. Historical mechanisms like attainder or the Titles Deprivation Act have been rarely used and are not relevant here. Andrew’s titles cannot be put into abeyance or dormancy. He may lose his knighthoods, but his peerages remain until his death or an act of Parliament.
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