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.

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As the digital asset ecosystem continues to mature, large financial players are increasingly shaping market dynamics through specialised trading approaches. Many organisations entering this space begin by exploring services such as crypto otc trading, which are designed to support large-scale transactions with efficiency, discretion, and reliability. This shift marks a clear distinction between retail participation and the more structured world of institutional involvement.

At its core, institutional cryptocurrency trading refers to the buying and selling of digital assets by professional entities rather than individual investors. These entities include hedge funds, asset managers, proprietary trading firms, corporate treasuries, and even traditional financial institutions. Their participation brings higher volumes, advanced strategies, and stricter operational standards to the crypto markets.

What sets institutional trading apart

Unlike retail traders, institutions operate with defined mandates, risk frameworks, and compliance requirements. Trades are often executed in large sizes and must align with broader portfolio strategies or business objectives. As a result, institutions require infrastructure that can handle complex execution needs, provide transparency, and integrate with existing financial systems.

One of the defining characteristics of institutional participation is its focus on reliable liquidity. Large orders must be executed without causing significant price disruption, which is not always possible on public order books. This need has driven the growth of alternative execution venues and professional trading services tailored to high-volume participants.

The role of OTC execution

To address the limitations of traditional exchanges, many institutions rely on OTC markets. These over-the-counter venues allow buyers and sellers to negotiate trades directly, often with the support of a dedicated desk. By moving large transactions off public order books, institutions can avoid slippage, reduce market impact, and gain greater certainty around execution prices.

OTC trading is particularly useful during periods of volatility or when handling strategic reallocations. It also offers flexibility in terms of settlement timing and trade structuring, which is valuable for organisations coordinating trades with internal treasury or accounting processes.

Infrastructure and asset protection

Managing large digital asset positions requires more than execution capabilities. Secure storage and asset management are equally important. This is where custodial solutions play a critical role. Institutional-grade custody services are designed to safeguard assets through advanced security controls, access management, and operational oversight.

These solutions help institutions mitigate risks associated with private key exposure and internal misuse. By separating trading functions from asset storage, organisations can implement clearer governance structures and demonstrate accountability to regulators and stakeholders.

Advanced strategies and automation

Institutions also differentiate themselves through the use of algorithmic strategies. Automated trading systems analyse market data in real time, execute orders based on predefined rules, and manage exposure across multiple venues simultaneously. This approach allows institutions to operate efficiently at scale while reducing reliance on manual intervention.

Algorithms are commonly used for tasks such as order slicing, price optimisation, and inventory management. When supported by robust infrastructure, these strategies can improve execution quality and consistency, even in fast-moving markets.

Why institutional trading matters for the market

The growing presence of institutional traders has a stabilising effect on the crypto ecosystem. Higher volumes, professional risk management, and structured execution contribute to more orderly markets. This, in turn, attracts additional participants and supports the long-term development of digital assets as a legitimate asset class.

Platforms like WhiteBIT cater to this evolution by offering OTC trading services tailored to institutional needs. By combining personalised execution with secure settlement processes, such services enable professional participants to operate confidently in a complex and rapidly evolving market.

Institutional crypto trading represents a significant step in the maturation of digital asset markets. It brings discipline, scale, and professionalism to an industry once dominated by retail activity. As infrastructure continues to evolve, institutional participation is likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of crypto finance.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. The content should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice.

Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile and unregulated in the UK. You may lose some or all of the money you invest. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Before making any investment decisions, you should conduct your own research and seek independent financial advice from a qualified professional.

The authors and publishers of this article are not responsible for any financial losses you may incur as a result of using or acting upon the information contained herein.

For more information on the risks of cryptocurrency investments, please visit the FCA’s official guidance.

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A co-founder of online fashion giant Asos died after falling from a high-rise apartment block in Thailand, police have said.

Quentin Griffiths has been named by Thai police as the man found dead on the ground in the eastern seaside city of Pattaya on 9 February.

A police investigator told the BBC Griffiths, a British passport holder, was by himself, his room was locked from the inside, and there was no trace of any break-ins at the time of the death. An autopsy did not reveal any evidence of foul play.

Griffiths co-founded Asos in 2000 and remained a significant shareholder after leaving the firm five years later.

An Asos spokesperson said: “We’re saddened to hear about the passing of Quentin, one of our original co-founders.

“He played an important role in Asos’s earliest days and we’re forever grateful for his contribution.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Police in Pattayatold the BBC Griffiths was found dead outside a luxury hotel where he had been staying in as a long-term resident in a suite on the 17th floor.

He was involved in two ongoing court cases that might have caused him stress, police also told the BBC.

Griffiths was separated from his second wife, a Thai national, and had reportedly been engaged in a legal dispute with her over a business they ran together, the BBC understands.

He co-founded Asos in London with Nick Robertson, Andrew Regan and Deborah Thorpe.

Its name originally stood for As Seen On Screen as it sold fashion inspired by clothing worn by TV and film stars.

It grew to become an online fashion marketplace stocking hundreds of brands as well as its own lines and at one time was valued at more than £6bn.

Its largest shareholders include Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen – who owns Danish clothing giant Bestseller and Mike Ashley, owner of Frasers Group.

Additional reporting by Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok

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Space scientists have discovered just how much they can accomplish when they work together, with incredible feats achieved this year through collaborations with commercial industry and foreign nations.

Successful partnerships in 2022 have included the launch and calibration of the most powerful space telescope in the world and photographing the never-before-seen supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Space, it says, is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is.

Douglas Adams

Stray rocket junk in an unpredictable orbit smashed into the moon, for example, creating a new crater. And NASA’s mega moon rocket, the Space Launch System, has stumbled on its way to its first lunar mission, with the agency encountering several problems with contractors’ work during a critical test this spring.

Whether the rest of the year will include the inaugural moon-bound Artemis mission, the United States’ return to human deep space exploration, remains to be seen. Read more about the year’s biggest moments in space, so far.

James Webb Space Telescope opens for business

The most powerful observatory in space hit its mark at a destination 1 million miles from Earth in late January and unfurled its complicated, tennis court-size sun shield. Engineers have since calibrated the Webb telescope’s scientific instruments, exceeding expectations for its level of precision.

Astronomers anticipate the telescope will stoke a golden age in our understanding of the cosmos, providing snapshots of space billions of light-years away.

On July 12, the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, will deliver its first full-color images. What those first cosmic targets will be is a closely guarded secret.

Webb is expected to observe some of the oldest, faintest light in the universe. The telescope will focus on a period less than 300 million years after the Big Bang, when many of the first stars and galaxies were born.

Scientists will also use the telescope to peer into the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets. Discoveries out there of water and methane, for example, could be signs of potential habitability or biological activity.

Peculiar widespread Martian aurora discovered

New overview images of Mars have revealed a stunning green light show in the planet’s sky.

Much of Mars’ atmosphere apparently has a wormlike streak, an aurora similar to the Northern Lights sometimes visible on Earth. The Martian aurora is a glowing, twisted band of ultraviolet light, stretching thousands of miles from the dayside, which faces the sun, to the back of the planet.

A United Arab Emirates Space Agency probe orbiting Mars, known as Hope, took the snapshots.

No one knows how it’s happening, given that scientists believe Mars’ magnetic field largely deteriorated billions of years ago. Magnetic fields guide high-energy streams of electrons from the sun into a planet’s atmosphere.

Astronomers take the first photo of massive Milky Way black hole

At the center of the Milky Way is a giant black hole, and for the first time ever, astronomers were able to see it.

Black holes don’t have surfaces, like planets or stars. Instead, these mysterious cosmic objects have a boundary called an “event horizon,” a point of no return. If anything swoops too close to that point, it will fall inward, never to escape the hole’s gravity.

With the power of eight linked radio dishes from around the world, the Event Horizon Telescope took a picture of the shadow of the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*. Hundreds of scientists from 80 institutions around the globe worked together to collect, process, and piece together fragments of data to make the picture.

Up until three years ago, any depiction of a black hole was merely an artist’s interpretation or a computer model. Now scientists have a snapshot of the real deal, which spans 27 million miles.

With financial support from the National Science Foundation and other groups, scientists plan to enhance their technology to make the image drastically sharper.

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