The "legalities" within Faerie are quite absolute.
Legally-outmaneuver a faerie and they will do something they absolutely HATE having to do.

And the Kringlemantle is Fae.
Kringle thus has to obey Mab.
Odin does not have to obey her... Odin seems able to put on & take off the Kringlemantle at will (tricky sort, Odin; just as much so as Mab, really).

What's the difference between protocol and etiquette?
Is Etiquette the Same as Manners? What about Protocol and ...
While Etiquette & Manners involve the rules of politeness and compassion among people in a social setting, Protocol comprises the set of rules associated with formalities, ceremonial events and official occasions involving nations and their representatives; as well as functions or formal procedures related to ...

Legally speaking, Kringle and Vadderung are two entirely different people who simply happen to reside in the same body," he replied

    "That's just a fiction,"I said, " a little game of protocol."
    ""Little games of protocol are how one shows respect, especially to those with whom one does not get along famously well.  It can be tedious but generally is less trouble than a duel would be."

I don't think that the Hunger Demon is much like a mantle, though.  Obviously, Jim could write that it is, but they seem entirely-separate things, to me.

"Claus" is specifically the Kringlemantle, though.  Mantles are constructs, and made to be separated from the people who wield/wear the mantle.  Odin, in particular, often takes off the Kringlemantle (I would allege that he is only rarely Kringle:  because Kringle is subject to Mab, but Vadderung & Odin emphatically are not).

I don't think we've ever seen the Mother/Queen/Lady (or Knight) mantles separate from their owners (except of course when the owners die).  Vadderung has told Harry several times about not always being Kringle; I expect this foreshadows Harry being able to "take off" the Knightmantle, and put it back on.

"2011 Naperville Signing" (says the WoJ document, about that quote).
It's a very good point, however, that Jim's ideas may have evolved in the dozen+ years since his off-the-cuff answers at a live event.

But it's very very convenient, for the author... maybe he doesn't want to deal with Thomas for a book or three.

I think Demonreach is more Mab-ish, here.  It might be able to remove the Hunger Demon... but that would almost-certainly destroy Thomas' mind & psyche (WoJ has explicitly addressed Mab doing so).

Alfred consistently shows a very stolid presence, and he often doesn't "get" some things Harry says to him.  He -- it, really -- has tremendous amount of power, but specifically only grasps things & applies the power to what's in his own domain.

Imprisoning Thomas is clearly within the scope of that.

I think Jim has written some of these Big Deal(tm) artifacts -- like the Island / the well -- as much more "Big Guns," and not really capable, not really relevant, to such a fine discrimination as filtering a Whampire Hunger Demon out of a human being.  I doubt Alfred would even comprehend the request.

I always assumed that the Gatekeeper was chronologically 1300yrs or older due to the WOJ that he killed the mad Arab. But his true age is around 300 ish. Maybe the dues of the Gatekeeper keep him away from the real world enough to slow his aging. Cant remember the book but i think its turn coat or proven guilty were Harry remarks that the only person who attends less WC meetings than him is the Gatekeeper

Unless Murphy is going to return very soon, I hope Harry does lose that protection from Murphy.

Barring a book with the White court as the primary antagonists, that protection is not a good thing. Maintaining that protection means that Harry remains celibate. While I don't want him to go wild, give the man some outlet for stress relief. A healthy sex life could be the key to controlling the Winter Knight mantle.