Australia backs removing Prince Andrew from royal succession

The Australian government said it would support any proposal to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince, from the royal line of succession following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

With the United Kingdom preparing to consider legislation that could strip Mountbatten-Windsor of his right to inherit the throne once a formal investigation is concluded, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to offer Canberra’s backing, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who is eighth in line to the throne after Princes William and Harry and their children, relinquished his royal titles in October following revelations about his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.

“This means Mountbatten-Windsor is still a counsellor of state, the group of adult royals who could be named to fill in for King Charles III if he was ill or abroad, even if in practice this would never happen for him, as only working royals are used,” Reuters reported.

Removing him from the succession would require an act of the UK parliament and the support of the 14 Commonwealth countries where King Charles III is head of state, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

“In light of recent events concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, I am writing to confirm that my government would agree to any proposal to remove him from the line of royal succession,” an extract of Albanese’s letter to Starmer, supplied to Guardian Australia, read.

“I agree with His Majesty that the law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation. These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously.”

Buckingham Palace has reportedly indicated it would not oppose moves to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. In a statement following the arrest, King Charles said, “the law must take its course.”

Albanese, speaking on the Guardian’s Australian Politics podcast, described Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest as an “extraordinary fall from grace” for the former prince.

“I must say, from someone who had such an esteemed position and was in a position really of absolute privilege, and to see this decline and fall is extraordinary,” he said.

Mountbatten-Windsor denies all allegations against him.

Despite his long-standing republican stance, Albanese said the former prince’s arrest would not trigger another referendum on whether Australia should have its own head of state. A 1999 referendum under then-Prime Minister John Howard rejected the proposal.

By Aghakazim Guliyev