Prince Louis is unlikely to ever by named the Duke of York when Prince William ascends to the throne, a veteran royal commentator has predicted.
The seven-year-old royal is unlikely ever to be known by the ancient title traditionally bestowed on the second son of the monarch due to its negative associations “ringing alarm bells worldwide”.
Last week, Prince Andrew surrendered the use of his title of the Duke of York amid mounting scandals pertaining to his association with Jeffrey Epstein and links to China.
He legally retains the title, as to formally remove it would require an act of Parliament, but royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believed it would be “too soon” to pass on to another member of the Firm.
Prince Louis is unlikley to receive the title of Duke of York
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The Dukedom of York has long been associated with the sovereign’s second son, a tradition established by King Edward IV in 1474.
Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, was also known as the Duke of York prior to his ascension to the throne following the 1936 abdication of his elder brother, King Edward VIII.
As the second son of the late Queen, Prince Andrew was also bestowed the title. However, this tradition may now be avoided due to the years of negative press surrounding the dukedom’s current holder.
“Certain titles are identified with their holders, maybe unfairly,” Mr Fitzwilliams told GB News.
“We are in an age where instant information is available and Duke of York rings alarm bells worldwide,” he continued.
The royal commentator explained that it may therefore be “too soon” for Prince Louis to one day adopt the title.
Speaking to The People’s Channel, Mr Fitzwilliams admitted: “There probably will never be another Duke of York.”
“They (The media) will still be using that Newsnight interview in 50 years,” he pointed out.
The royal commentator felt the title would be too assocaited with Prince Andrew
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The commentator was referring to Prince Andrew’s disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis where he attempted to address press reports about his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Using a historical precedent, Mr Fitzwilliams predicted: “There won’t be another Duke of Windsor.”
The Duke of Windsor was the title held by King Edward VIII, who abdicated to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson which caused shockwaves around the world.
While Prince Andrew currently legally retains his dukedom, it remains unclear what will happen to the title in the future.
Andrew relinquished his title as Duke of York last week ‘put my duty to my family and country first’
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The title of duke follows an exclusively line of succession. As such, his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, would not be eligible to inherit it.
At the eventual time of his passing, the dukedom would most likely be returned to the Crown.
The title may remain dormant for some time until any potentially negative associations have dissipated.
The question of Andrew’s dukedom remains a live one, with an overwhelming majority of Britons backing formally stripping him of the honour.
