Carney says former prince Andrew should be removed from line to throne

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he believes Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the line of succession to the British throne for his “deplorable” actions, but noted he would respect the process currently playing out in the country.

“Personally I do, yes,” Carney told reporters in Tokyo when asked about the former prince Andrew.

“There is a process (underway) to define that process, but I certainly think his actions, which are deplorable and have caused him to be stripped of his royal title, certainly merit, if that’s the word — necessitate is a better word — his removal from the line of succession. Even though he is well down the line of succession, I think the point, the principle, stands.”

The comments were notable coming from the leader of a member of the Commonwealth, all 14 of which would need to approve a change to the line of succession.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal status last year over his close links with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, he remains eighth in line to become monarch as the younger brother of King Charles III.

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The British government confirmed last month it was “not ruling out action” to change that after Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following the release of millions of pages of files last month related to Epstein by the U.S. Justice Department.

Those documents led to accusations that the former prince was sharing confidential trade information with the disgraced financier when he served as U.K. trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.

Mountbatten-Windsor was released without charge after spending about 11 hours in custody, but he remains under investigation.

“The government is clear that we are not ruling out action in respect of the line of succession at this stage, and we will consider whether any further steps are required in due course,” Darren Jones, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief secretary, told lawmakers after the arrest.

Removing someone from the line of succession would require an act of Parliament, which needs lawmakers’ approval.

Under the current line of royal succession, Charles’ son Prince William is heir to the throne and his three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — are next. Prince Harry is fifth, while his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are sixth and seventh in line.

Mountbatten-Windsor — who was second in line to the throne at his birth — currently follows them in eighth position. His daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, are at ninth and 12th places, respectively.

Australia and New Zealand have said they would support any U.K. government plan to exclude Mountbatten-Windsor.

“These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously,” Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote in a letter to Starmer last month.

“I agree with His Majesty that the law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation.”

—with files from the Associated Press