Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, to be removed from the royal line of succession, describing his alleged actions as “deplorable”. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Carney said the actions that led to Andrew being stripped of his royal titles “necessitate” his removal from the line of succession.
Andrew was arrested on 19 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, believed to be the first time in modern history a member of the royal family has been held by police. He remains eighth in line to the throne, despite relinquishing his royal titles in October after new information emerged about his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and child sex offender.
Carney noted that while Andrew is “well down” the line of succession, the “point of principle stands”. Removing him would require an act of the UK parliament and support from the 14 Commonwealth countries where King Charles III is head of state, including Australia and New Zealand. Both countries have already confirmed they would support such a proposal.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February, stating his government would agree to any proposal to remove Andrew from the line of succession. “These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously,” Albanese wrote.
Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any criminal offence. Buckingham Palace has indicated it would not stand in the way of plans to remove him from the succession, with King Charles stating after the arrest that “the law must take its course”.
