The Fall of York makes for some fascinating reading. Letters patent are apparently constitutionally reserved to the government in the present UK order. The Times suggests there was even some talk of extinguishing the title, which suggests that some of the constitutional thinkers rearranging the furniture might be (perhaps deliberately) oblivious to the value of the pieces.
Today's edition takes the line that the primary countervailing force was concern for the welfare of the Duke, and avoiding psychological harm. Not the first thing that usually comes to mind after a hard-fought negotiation, which the news also suggested.
And the whole thing is of interest because it gives some grasp on the political order, even to the clueless foreign passerby. While of course there are souls involved as well. Uneasy lies the head that wears the coronet. Any family in the service of the state tends to live in a bit of a silo. The damage that can do to all involved shouldn't be underestimated. The republic, by its nature, isn't a sinecure. The opposite, in fact.