‘Grave allegations’: push grows to dump disgraced royal
The bipartisan effort to ensure Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor never becomes Australia’s head of state is making global progress.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote to his British counterpart on Monday expressing support for any move to remove the disgraced royal family from the line of succession.
New Zealand became the latest country to join the campaign after the former prince was arrested over alleged leaks of secret documents to dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor was released while investigations continued.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his government was in contact with the British Cabinet Office regarding the saga.
“No one is above the law,” he told reporters on Tuesday, adding that New Zealand made its position known before Australia’s position was made public.
For the measure to become final, Britain and other Commonwealth countries, including New Zealand, Canada and Papua New Guinea, must agree to remove the former prince from the line of succession.
The removal will only take place after the legislation is introduced to the British parliament.
Sir Keir said his government would only do so after the police investigation was concluded.
But Mr Albanese said there should be no chance of the disgraced royal becoming Australia’s head of state.
“I think I speak for all Australians when I say we don’t want a pub with this guy,” he told the Karl Stefanovic podcast on Tuesday.
Mr Albanese said Australia was “directly involved” in the situation because Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who was allegedly sexually harassed by the former prince, is Australian-American.
Ms. Roberts Giuffre took her own life after reaching a secret settlement. Mountbatten-Windsor has always maintained her innocence.
Mountbatten-Windsor is eighth in line to the throne; This means he will only become Australia’s head of state in the unlikely event that his predecessors (King Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and the five royal children) die or abdicate.
Mr Albanese told Brisbane radio station B105: “This man has lived an incredibly privileged life and has blatantly abused that privilege in a variety of ways that are completely unacceptable.”
“There will be legal processes there now and that should run its course, but I don’t think he should still be on track to be our president while this is going on.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor backed the government’s stance.
“The law must take its course, including through a full and fair process. If the UK decides to pursue this course of action through its parliament, we would support that action,” he said.
The order of succession has been changed before, including by 2013 laws that allowed firstborns to ascend to the throne regardless of their gender.
Male heirs were previously given higher status, even if an older woman was next in line.
In his letter to his British counterpart, Mr Albanese said he agreed with the King that a full investigation was needed and “the law must now take its course”.
The Prime Minister said he was not planning a referendum to change Australia from a monarchy to a head of state and become a republic.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on her 66th birthday after multiple emails released in the US suggested she had leaked confidential documents to Epstein while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
