Defence Minister Luke Pollard confirms the government had “absolutely” been working with Buckingham Palace on the plans to stop the former prince from “potentially being a heartbeat away from the throne”
The government is considering introducing legislation to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of royal succession. Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the move, which would prevent Andrew from ever becoming King, was the “right thing to do,” regardless of the outcome of the police investigation.
Currently, Andrew, the King’s brother, remains eighth in line to the throne despite being stripped of his titles, including “prince”, last October amid pressure over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. On Thursday evening, Andrew was released under investigation 11 hours after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Pollard confirmed the government had “absolutely” been working with Buckingham Palace on the plans to stop the former prince from “potentially being a heartbeat away from the throne”. He said this was “something that I hope will enjoy cross-party support, but it’s right that that is something that only happens when the police investigation concludes”.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said that “any questions in that sphere would be quite complicated”, adding that the live police investigation needs to “play out”.
On Saturday, several unmarked police cars were again seen entering Royal Lodge, the 30-room Windsor property where Andrew lived for many years.
At one point on Friday, more than 20 vehicles could be seen parked at the property, although it is not known whether all were connected to the investigation and searches.
Thames Valley Police, the force that arrested him, is expected to continue searching Royal Lodge until Monday.
Several other forces across the UK are also considering whether to launch investigations, Danny Shaw, a former adviser to ex-home secretary Yvette Cooper, noted. “It has the danger of spiralling out of control,” Shaw told Radio 4’s Today programme. Because of this, these investigations could take “considerable time”, he added.
The government’s proposal to remove Andrew from the line of succession follows some MPs, including the Liberal Democrats and SNP, signalling their support for such legislation. Some Labour parliamentarians who have been critical of the monarchy said they were less convinced the move was required – in part because it is so unlikely the former Duke of York would ever get near to the throne.
In October, Downing Street said it had no plans to introduce a law to change the line of succession. After the latest revelations, historian David Olusoga said there was now “a desperate desire within government and within the palace to draw a firewall… between this crisis and the wider monarchy”.
Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented on the government’s plans to remove Andrew from the line of succession.
Graphic showing the royal line of succession after King Charles III – 1. William, Prince of Wales, 2. Prince George of Wales, 3. Princess Charlotte of Wales, 4. Prince Louis of Wales, 5. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, 6. Prince Archie of Sussex, 7. Princess Lilibet of Sussex, 8. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 9. Princess Beatrice, 10. Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, 11. Athena Mapelli Mozzi, 12. Princess Eugenie, 13. August Brooksbank, 14. Ernest Brooksbank
The move would require an act of Parliament, which would have to be approved by MPs and peers and would come into effect when given royal assent by the King. It would also need to be supported by the 14 Commonwealth countries where Charles III is head of state, including Canada, Australia, Jamaica and New Zealand. It also ended “male primogeniture”, under which a younger son can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession. This applies to those born after 28 October 2011.
The last time someone was removed from the line of succession by an act of Parliament was in 1936, when the former Edward VIII and his descendants were removed due to his abdication.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said police should be “allowed to get on with their job, acting without fear or favour”. He added: “But clearly this is an issue that Parliament is going to have to consider when the time is right, naturally the monarchy will want to make sure he can never become King.”
The SNP would support removing Andrew from the line of succession if legislation is required, according to the party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.
