How Commonwealth nations hold the key to removing Andrew from the line of succession
The British government has said it will consider removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession to the British throne after a police investigation into the former prince is concluded.
This is King Henry III. It’s a move that will require the support of the 14 other Commonwealth countries of which Charles is head of state.
So far, it has the blessing of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who offered his support in a letter to Keir Starmer on Monday.
New Zealand leader Christopher Luxon followed suit hours later, saying he would support plans to remove the former prince from the British throne.
But Sir Keir Starmer’s government will still need the support of 12 counties if it wants to remove Mr Mountbatten-Windsor from eighth place in the succession order.
It comes after the former prince was arrested last week on suspicion of abuse of public office after being accused of sharing sensitive information with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein while he was a trade envoy.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who denied any wrongdoing, was later released under investigation.
Following his arrest, Sir Keir’s principal secretary, Darren Jones, told MPs on Monday: “The Government is clear that we do not rule out action on the line of succession at this stage and we will consider whether further steps are required in due course.”
What approval does the UK government need?
Any changes proposed by the government would require an act of Parliament and the support of Commonwealth countries where the monarch is the head of state.
These 15 territories are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the United Kingdom.
Business secretary Sir Chris Bryant said the government was “working rapidly” to bring forward legislation on inheritance.
What is the process?
Robert Hazell, a professor of British politics at University College London, said the move would require some countries to make formal constitutional changes, while others would make the changes through legislation.
The process will likely be long and time-consuming for all countries involved. Mr Hazell said other governments may be hesitant to support the move because the former prince is eighth in line and is unlikely to ever become King.
No government in the region has publicly expressed disapproval of the move.
“The last time this happened was for the Crown Succession Act 2013, which made royal succession law gender neutral,” Mr Hazell said. “It took two years of long negotiations for all the different countries to change their laws or constitutions.”
When was the last time someone was removed from the line of succession?
The last time someone was removed from the line of succession was after King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
What have Commonwealth countries said so far?
In a letter to the British prime minister, Mr Albanese said: “In light of recent events regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, I write to confirm that my government will accept any proposal to remove him from the royal line of succession.
“I agree with Her Majesty that the law must now be fully operational and that there must be a full, fair and appropriate investigation.
“These are serious allegations and Australians take them seriously.”
The New Zealand prime minister joined Mr Albanese hours later in saying he would support the UK government’s decision.
Mr Luxon said: “If the UK Government proposes removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, New Zealand will support this.”
However, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister disagreed with these statements and told local media that this was not a priority for the country.
David Seymour said: “I think we have 99 issues that most New Zealanders are facing right now.
“This man is eighth in the line of succession, and these men all seem to live to be about 100 years old.
“So of all the things you could ask me or worry about right now, this is probably way down the list.”
Asked about Australia’s support, he said: “Well done, they’ve solved a few more problems.”
Independent He contacted government officials from 12 other countries, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, but did not receive a response on whether they would support the move.
