Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will remain eighth in line to the throne ‘for a year’
Keir Starmer and Buckingham Palace have indicated support for a plan to remove Andrew from the line of succession since his arrest
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is likely to maintain his succession to the throne for another year(Image: Getty Images)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is unlikely to be stripped of his position as the eighth in line to the throne for at least a year, it has been claimed.
The former prince, 66, is facing a police investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his role as a UK special envoy for trade. But any move to remove him from the line of succession is likely to be delayed, according to The Times, as Thames Valley Police are widening their investigation.
The Metropolitan Police is also working with US counterparts to establish whether London airports were used to traffic girls on the financier’s “Lolita Express” jet. As part of that probe Mountbatten-Windsor’s former close protection officers are being quizzed over his relationship with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
He was forced to renounce his Duke of York title last year and was arrested on his 66th birthday in February before being released under investigation. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Keir Starmer and Buckingham Palace have indicated support for a plan to remove Andrew from the line of succession since his arrest. But Downing Street will consult with other Commonwealth realms before any change can be made, which would also require an Act of Parliament and every other country where Charles III is King would have to agree to the legislation.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand have indicated consent, yet the issue could prompt more wide-ranging debates in countries such as Jamaica, which has announced a desire to move away from the UK monarchy.
Another subject understood to be debated is whether Andrew’s daughters, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their offspring will also be struck from the line of succession.
Eugenie, Andrew’s younger daughter, has announced she is expecting her third child, who will be 15th in the line of succession, pushing the Duke of Edinburgh down to 16th place.
Palace sources, who had indicated that the King would not stand in the way of a government move to ban Andrew from the line of succession, were keen to avoid any questions on Charles’s brother.
After Andrew’s arrest, which saw him questioned in a police station for 11 hours, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told the House of Commons: “The government are clear that we are not ruling out action in respect of the line of succession at this stage and we will consider whether any further steps are required in due course. It is vital, however, that we first allow the police to carry out their investigations.”
Defence minister Luke Pollard has said it was “absolutely” the “right” thing to do, regardless of the outcome of the police investigation. He told BBC Radio 4 that the government had been working with Buckingham Palace to prevent Andrew from “potentially being a heartbeat away from the throne”.
The last time the line of succession was amended was in 2013 was in order to end the male primogeniture rule shortly before the birth of Prince William and Princess Kate’s first child George.
