A council is set to make an important decision about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a "matter of urgency".
The City of London Corporation (CLC) has approved a process to remove the Freedom of the City of London honour, which the disgraced Duke, 66, still holds.
A legal review previously found that there was no effective lawful way to do so.
However, CLC, the body which administers the ancient city centre, said on Thursday that its court of common council, the organisation’s main decision-making body, had approved a process enabling the honour to be removed from individuals.
© Getty ImagesCLC’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 Freedom is one of the City's ancient traditions and is largely ceremonial, allowing recipients a "sense of belonging".
Why does Andrew still hold the Freedom of the City of London?
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 Andrew, after the corporation instructed officers to pursue steps to lawfully remove the honour.
In May, CLC criticised Andrew for failing to surrender his Freedom of the City of London "despite being asked to do so".
The disgraced former Prince inherited the freedom, one of his final remaining honours, in 2012 by patrimony, as the child of Prince Philip, who was a freeman. This means it constitutes a legal right and cannot currently be legally removed.
It is understood that the proposal to strip Andrew of the honour will return to the Court of Common Council for a decision in December.
What is the former Prince Andrew doing now?
Andrew was evicted from Royal Lodge in Windsor in February and now lives in exile at Marsh Farm on King Charles's Sandringham estate.
He has kept a low profile in recent months, away from the public eye, and no longer takes part in any public events with the royal family due to his friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The former Duke now lives a quiet life, but still takes care of Muick and Sandy, the beloved pet corgis that belonged to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
© Getty ImagesKing Charles formally stripped his brother of his remaining royal titles last year, including his HRH styling and princely title.
Meanwhile, Andrew's younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, recently welcomed her third baby, a girl named Adelaide, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, at a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, last month.
It hasn't been confirmed whether either Andrew or his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has met their fifth grandchild yet.
Sarah herself is reported to have returned to Britain after months in hiding abroad.
