Prince William ‘wanted Andrew removed from line of succession last year’
Prince William reportedly wants Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor removed as royal heir in the autumn, as well as having his other titles stripped.
The Prince of Wales is said to be frustrated that the process of removing his uncle from the British throne, which the government is now weighing up, had not been resolved at the time.
But King Charles was reportedly reluctant to support the move until shortly before Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest last month, royal sources said. Sunday Times.
The government is considering legislation that would remove Andrew from his current position of eighth in line to the throne; The government has said the move could take “years” and will not begin until the investigation into the former prince is concluded.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office after being accused of sharing sensitive information with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein while he was a trade ambassador. He was not charged and denied any wrongdoing.
Following his arrest, Sir Keir’s principal secretary, Darren Jones, told MPs: “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.”
The revelations about the Prince of Wales follow allegations last month that William had demanded Mr Mountbatten-Windsor be removed from the royal family “before the rot begins”.
William’s love for Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II. He is said to have urged Elizabeth to take action following the then prince’s disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.
The King stripped Mr Mountbatten-Windsor of all his titles, including Duke of York, in October following new revelations about his relationship with Epstein.
According to sources, he was reluctant to approve his removal from the line of succession but said he would no longer “argue” if the government took action Sunday Times.
Prince William is said to fear his uncle’s ongoing scandal threatens the royal family’s reputation and survival.
A recent poll found 82 per cent of Britons think Mr Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the succession.
Calls for Andrew to be removed from the royal line of succession were also supported by the leaders of Australia and New Zealand, who said they would support the UK government’s decision.
In a letter to the British prime minister, Australian prime minister Anthony 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.”
The move to depose the former prince would require the support of the 14 other Commonwealth countries where King Charles is head of state.
The royal family has not commented publicly on recent calls for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to be sacked.
Following Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, William was asked at the Baftas if he had seen the recently released film Hamnet and he replied: “I need to be in a pretty calm state and I’m not at the moment.”
