There’s been growing calls for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be removed from the British line of succession ever since he was first involved with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But after the former duke was arrested on February 19, these cries have only increased—and now two Commonwealth countries have stepped up to share their support for his removal.
Ousting a member of the Royal Family from the line of succession requires not only approval from the U.K. government, but from all 14 Commonwealth countries that King Charles serves as head of state. As of February 24, both Australia and New Zealand have both expressed that they will back any plans for Andrew to be removed from the line of succession.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese shared his support in a letter shared by U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer on February 23. “I agree with His Majesty that the law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation,” his letter read, per the BBC. “These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously.”
On February 24, New Zealand backed its neighbor, with a spokesperson for the country’s prime minister, Christopher Luxon, stating (via the Guardian), “If the U.K. government proposes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the order of succession, New Zealand would support it.”
According to the media outlet, Luxon “told the media that his government had been in contact with the U.K. Cabinet Office” regarding the matter.
“The bottom line is no one is above the law and once that investigation is closed, should the U.K. government decide to remove him from the line of succession, that is something we would support,” he said.
Currently, Andrew sits at eighth in line to throne, behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter, Princess Lilibet, who is seventh.
Royal expert Phil Dampier recently told Hello! that he’d be “astonished” if action wasn’t taken for Andrew’s removal.
“I think it will probably happen within six months,” he said. “It could happen quite quickly—whether he ends up being charged or ending up in court or not. The political will and public opinion are so strong that it would end up being a gesture in some ways.”
