PM says he would dump ex-prince Andrew from line of royal succession; Bondi royal commission commences today
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would strip the former prince Andrew’s right to succeed to the throne due to the grave allegations against the disgraced royal.
It comes after officials in the UK told local media this week that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was considering legislation that would remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession.
Fifteen Commonwealth nations are required to pass laws to make such a change.
The ex-prince, stripped of his royal title in October last year over his connections to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is eighth in line to the throne after the families of princes William and Harry, making it highly unlikely he would become Australia’s and the UK’s head of state.
Starmer has not publicly announced he will dump Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. The BBC reported that any such move would probably occur only after police concluded their probe into the 66-year-old’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein which led to his arrest last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
But Albanese pre-empted any move by writing to Starmer yesterday, underscoring the strong appetite among politicians to be seen to denounce Mountbatten-Windsor.
