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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 3h

It wasn't a courtesy title. His peerages were conferred on him by Letters Patent and he had a seat in the House of Lords until 1999.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 14h

Is Andrew still the Duke of York? Legally yes, officially no. My new post explores the ambiguous nature of being removed from the Roll of the Peerage. venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/a...

Administrative Oblivion: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the Roll of the Peerage

On October 30, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor[1] was abruptly removed from the Roll of the Peerage. Although the media is portraying this as tantamount to the revocation of his peerages, that’s not act…

venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 14h

I could see how the traditional arguments against disclosing honors-related material would still apply. If the decision-makers need a safe space in which to discuss the merits of giving someone an honor, one could argue they also need a space in which to discuss the merits of taking one away.

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 21h

On a side note, s. 37(1)(b) of the FOIA states that information is exempt from disclosure if it relates to "the conferring by the Crown of any honour or dignity" though this is not an absolute exemption and so there is a public interest test.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 22h

Also, some officers of the Orders are members of the Royal Family. For example, the Queen is Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire, the Princess Royal is Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order, and the Prince of Wales is Great Master of the Order of the Bath.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 22h

Nope. In practice, the administration of the Orders is handled by the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood which is part of the Lord Chamberlain's Office.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 1d

Letters Patent annulling the appointment of a Knight Bachelor are an exception to this rule. Those *are* handled by the Crown Office since they pass under the Great Seal. 2/2 cbaionline.org/corpus/items...

Letters Patent - Revocation of a Knighthood [2012-02-01] · Corpus of British Administrative Instruments

cbaionline.org

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 1d

We may never see the instruments removing Andrew from the Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order. They were likely prepared and countersigned by officers of the relevant Orders without passing through the Crown Office. 1/2

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you! I've seen a video of his introduction on YouTube, so it's interesting to see the written ceremonial.

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 2d

Recently added to the Corpus of British Administrative Instruments: Queen Elizabeth II's Letters Patent granting the titular dignity of Prince to the Duke of Edinburgh. cbaionline.org/corpus/items...

Letters Patent - Titular Dignity of Prince [1957-02-22] · Corpus of British Administrative Instruments

cbaionline.org

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 3d

Recently added to the Corpus of British Administrative Instruments: Queen Elizabeth II's 1960 Declaration stating that certain of her descendants would bear the name of "Mountbatten-Windsor." cbaionline.org/corpus/items...

Order in Council - Recording Queen Elizabeth II's Declaration Regarding the Name Mountbatten-Windsor [1960-02-08] · Corpus of British Administrative Instruments

cbaionline.org

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 7d

This material is currently scattered across FOI sites, old books, and social media. The CBAI brings it together in one place with important context. For more information on the project, check out this blog post. 2/2 venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/i...

Introducing the Corpus of British Administrative Instruments

After nearly 20 years studying the British constitution, I still regularly hear one question: What does the Monarch actually do? Outside of high-profile events like the State Opening of Parliament,…

venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 7d

I've been working on a curated collection of Letters Patent, Royal Warrants, Ministerial Submissions, and similar material called the Corpus of British Administrative Instruments. 1/2 cbaionline.org/corpus/

Corpus of British Administrative Instruments

cbaionline.org

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 7d

Yeah; it should be "Princely."

cbaionline.org/corpus/items...

Letters Missive - Bishop of Winchester [2011] · Corpus of British Administrative Instruments

cbaionline.org

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 7d

As the Palace announces that the King has initiated a process to remove Prince Andrew's titles, his name has already disappeared from the Roll of the Peerage. But what, exactly, does that mean? venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com/2025/10/30/e...

Erasing the Duke of York: The Roll of the Peerage and the limits of removal

Buckingham Palace today announced that the King has “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.” The style of Royal Highness, the title of prince, and his …

venerablepuzzle.wordpress.com

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Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 27d

Although the PCC is involved in the appointment process, the Ecclesiastical Secretary in the Cabinet Office ultimately decides which name is recommended to the Lord Chancellor. It's a substantive role rather than a rubber stamp.

Jason Loch @jasonloch.bsky.social · 28d

I agree. On a side note, while not reflective of his legal acumen, I stumbled upon this anecdote about Tristram that legitimately made me chuckle.