Australia’s Prime Minister has informed Sir Keir Starmer that his government would support proposals to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession.
Anthony Albanese has formally voiced his support for proposals to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession, confirming his position in a letter to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Despite being stripped of his royal titles in October amid ongoing controversy surrounding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne. The UK government is now considering whether legislation should be introduced to formally remove him from the succession.
The move follows his recent arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was detained by Thames Valley Police and later released under investigation after approximately 11 hours. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Under constitutional arrangements, removing a member of the royal line of succession would require an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Crucially, it would also need the backing of the 14 Commonwealth realms where King Charles III serves as head of state, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
In his letter, Albanese stated that Australia would support any formal proposal brought forward by the British government. He emphasised that the allegations are serious and that the legal process must proceed independently and thoroughly.
Following the arrest, King Charles said that the matter would be handled through the proper legal channels and investigated by the appropriate authorities.
A spokesperson for the UK prime minister confirmed receipt of the Australian leader’s correspondence and said the government is reviewing whether additional measures may be necessary. However, they declined to comment further due to the ongoing police investigation.
Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented on the government’s consideration of legislation to remove Andrew from the line of succession.
On Friday, Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the BBC that the move – which would prevent Andrew from ever becoming King – was the “right thing to do,” regardless of the outcome of the police investigation.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray meanwhile said “any questions in that sphere would be quite complicated”, adding that the live police investigation needed to “play out”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said on Monday that Parliament should not pass legislation to remove the former prince from the line of succession “until the police have finished their jobs”. He also cautioned against a “trial by media”.
Andrew was arrested at 08:00 GMT on Thursday at Sandringham, the King’s estate in Norfolk, where he has been residing since vacating Royal Lodge in Windsor earlier this year. Police searches were carried out at Sandringham and are understood to have continued at the Windsor property over the weekend.
The last time Parliament removed someone from the line of succession was in 1936, when Edward VIII and his descendants were excluded following his abdication.
Andrew has previously rejected allegations connected to Epstein and has not publicly responded to more recent claims that surfaced following the release of court documents in the United States earlier this year.