Andrew succession breakthrough as Australia backs plan to take away him from royal line
Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, has written to Keir Starmer to pledge his country’s backing to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession
Andrew could be removed from the line of succession(Image: Getty Images)
Australia has become the first of King Charles’ 14 realms to express its support for the shocking move to exclude Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. Last week, reports emerged that Keir Starmer’s UK government was contemplating plans to oust the disgraced former Duke of York from the line to the throne.
He could only be removed by an Act of Parliament following agreement with the 14 British realms, with sources indicating the government will initiate consultation after the conclusion of several police investigations into allegations surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s behaviour. The King’s brother, who was dramatically arrested at his temporary Norfolk residence on Thursday and detained for 11 hours, had faced escalating demands to step down from his role.
Now it has come to light that Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of major realm Australia, has penned a letter to Mr Starmer to pledge his country’s support of the move, stating the allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor are serious and that “Australians take them seriously”.
In the letter, Mr Albanese writes: “Dear Prime Minister Starmer, 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. 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.”
The King effectively stripped him of his royal titles in October after fresh details emerged about his connections to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in millions of documents released by the US State Department, reports the Mirror.
Any alterations to the line of succession would also necessitate the agreement of other nations that share the UK monarch. The 14 Commonwealth countries where King Charles is head of state are Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
This follows Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on Thursday morning after allegations were made against him following the release of files related to paedophile financier Epstein and claims he shared sensitive information with him during his tenure as the UK’s trade envoy. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein connections, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
Following Andrew’s arrest, the King stated that “the law must take its course” and the police have “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”.
Recent YouGov polling reveals that the majority of Britons (82 per cent) believe the former prince should be removed from the line of succession, with just six per cent thinking he should not. Various MPs and party leaders have demanded a full statutory inquiry following the arrest, with some calling for a debate on the future of the monarchy.
Andrew last visited Australia in October 2019, mere weeks before his notorious Newsnight interview, which led to his initial exile from public life. The country last conducted a referendum on becoming a republic in 1999, where 55 per cent of voters were opposed.
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However, in a weekend interview with The Guardian, Mr Albanese stated that the latest scandal involving the former Duke of York would not trigger a new referendum on becoming a republic.
He said: “I’m a republican but we had a referendum during the last term. Referendums are hard to pass in Australia. I have respect for King Charles, I must say, and for Queen Camilla. I have had a good relationship with him. He very much loves Australia. And his visit here, I must say, was a very positive one. But that doesn’t change the fact I think there should [eventually] be an Australian head of state.”
Meanwhile, yesterday, searches continued at Mountbatten-Windsor’s former residence of Royal Lodge as the Government did not dismiss the possibility of a judge-led inquiry into the former prince’s connections with Epstein following police investigations.
A variety of public figures have been increasing their calls for a more extensive investigation into Andrew’s previous associations with the convicted sex offender. When questioned if the Government would contemplate this action, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky: “We’ll look at any sensible proposals that do come forward.”
She added: “But it’s premature at the moment, because we do have the police doing their work. They need to have the time and space to do so, as the King set out, no-one is above the law, and it’s right that the police go wherever the evidence takes them, so that has to be the focus at the moment.”
In addition to several high profile political figures calling for Andrew to be removed from the line of succession, Change.org user Joel Boissevain started a petition immediately after the arrest to make the same call – which has so far been signed by over 25,000 people across the country.
