A decision on stripping Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his Freedom of the City of London will be made as 'a matter of urgency' after he refused to give it up.

The City of London Corporation (CLC) previously said it considered his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to be 'wholly unacceptable and inconsistent' with the status and obligations of a Freeman of the City of London. 

Earlier this year, the body that administers the ancient city centre criticised Andrew for failing to surrender his Freedom of the City of London 'despite being asked to do so'.

Now, the CLC's Court of Common Council has said it had approved a process to remove the honour from individuals.

Elected members of the organisation's main decision-making body approved the act which gives the court the power to remove a freedom.   

The decision followed a legal review which concluded that there had been no effective lawful way to do so.

Under the new process, each case would be considered on its individual circumstances and in accordance with the law, CLC said, with the person concerned informed and given opportunities to make written representations before a final decision is made.

The new process will now begin for the disgraced former prince, after the corporation instructed officers to pursue steps to lawfully remove the honour.

Andrew inherited the Freedom of the City of London in 2012 by virtue of patrimony, as the child of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, who was awarded the Freedom in 1948.

In May, the CLC passed a motion of censure – a formal expression of disapproval – against Andrew after he failed to respond to its letter inviting him to relinquish his Freedom of the City. 

In its motion of censure, the court said there was 'profound disappointment' Andrew has 'not surrendered his Freedom despite being asked to do so'.

In its full motion published in May, the court said: 'The Court of Common Council notes with the utmost dismay Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's association with the convicted paedophile, the late Jeffrey Epstein, and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.  

'Whilst it recognises that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor maintains that he has done nothing wrong, it nevertheless considers that his well-publicised association with Epstein is wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with his status and obligations as a Freeman of the City of London.

'In the circumstances, and in solidarity with Epstein's victims and survivors, the court wishes to remove Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's Freedom consistent with decisions already taken by His Majesty the King and other military and civil bodies to strip him of his offices and honours.'

The City Corporation previously said its thoughts 'remain firmly with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and all victims of sexual abuse and exploitation'. 

It is understood the proposal to strip Andrew of the honour will return to the Court of Common Council for a decision in December.

CLC's policy chairman, Chris Hayward, said: 'Today, we have approved a lawful and effective process for considering whether the Freedom of the City of London should be removed from an individual.

'This ensures that future decisions are taken fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the law, with appropriate safeguards in place for all parties involved.

'The process will now be followed as a matter of urgency to ensure that a decision is made in relation to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Freedom.'

The title, a ceremonial honour which allows recipients to walk sheep over London Bridge, is normally given to people nominated by Corporation councillors.

Among those to have received the award in recent years are comedian Sir Lenny Henry, actress Cate Blanchett, choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne, boxer Frank Bruno, England footballer Harry Kane, and musician Ronnie Wood.

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile.

Andrew was arrested in February – on his 66th birthday – on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK's trade envoy.

In May, Thames Valley Police, which is leading the investigation, said it was widening the inquiry to include sex trafficking.

The information Andrew allegedly shared included reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore as well as a confidential briefing about investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province in Afghanistan.

It is understood that Thames Valley's investigation into Andrew is being given the same resources as a major crime probe and that specialist sexual offence investigators are part of the team.

Mr Edwards, who has represented more than 200 alleged Epstein victims, previously sued Andrew on behalf of the late Ms Giuffre, who alleged she had sex at 17 with the former Duke of York in London, New York and on Epstein's Caribbean island.

Andrew settled for a reported £12million before the case went to trial but did not admit liability.

The files released by the Department of Justice contained damning messages from Andrew to Epstein in 2010 talking about setting him up with a woman.

Epstein offered to set the former prince up with a 'friend' who was '26, russian, clevere [sic] beautiful, trustworthy'. It is not known if the woman in the email is the same one Mr Edwards represents.

He was stripped by the King of both his right to be a prince and his dukedom late last year over his association with convicted sex offender Epstein.

Andrew, who remains eighth in line to the throne, has always denied any wrongdoing.