Albanese throws support behind push to remove former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from line of succession

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to his British counterpart backing any plan to remove former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of royal succession.

His letter has sparked calls for Australia to go further and become a republic instead in the wake of the Mountbatten-Windsor's Thursday arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office

The UK government has confirmed it was looking at ways to remove him from the line for the throne.

READ MORE: Infamous photo of ex-prince Andrew hung in Louvre

Mountbatten-Windsor is eighth in the line of succession and could technically be named regent or temporarily take over the King's duties even earlier, although Buckingham Palace has effectively ruled that out.

In a letter released last night, Albanese wrote to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressing his support for removing the former Duke of York.

"In light of recent events concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, I am writing to confirm that my Government would agree to any proposal to remove him from the line of royal succession," Albanese wrote.

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

"These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously."

The support of Albanese and the leaders of the other Commonwealth countries who retain the UK's reigning monarch as their head of state is essential to any plan to remove him.

READ MORE: Timeline of events that led to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson for the republic Senator Mehreen Faruqi said the prime minister's letter was not a show of leadership but rather a "humiliating reminder" that Australia is shackled to a "corrupt and crumbling" royal family.

"Rather than pleading with a foreign government to clean up its messes, Australia should be cutting ties altogether and choosing its own head of state," she said.

"Australia needs to confront the bigger truth that the monarchy is an outdated, unaccountable institution built on colonial violence and stolen wealth.

"The latest horrific scandal is not an aberration. It is a symptom of a broken system that is not fit to represent us.

"You cannot polish a rotten crown. The time for a republic is now."

Pro-republic advocates also called to separate from the monarch shortly after the former prince's arrest, saying the head of state should represent the "very best of us".

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Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest followed years of allegations over his links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019, but the accusation at the heart was that the royal shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier when he was a trade envoy for the UK. 

He was released on Thursday night (early Friday AEDT) after spending about 11 hours in custody.

He remained under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.

Emails released last month by the US Department of Justice appeared to show him sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore, and sending Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in Afghanistan.

He has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein but has not commented on the most recent allegations that have emerged with the release of the Epstein files.

READ MORE: The British royal family faces its worst crisis in generations

In the wake of the arrest, UK Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the BBC that wiping his chances of being a successor to the throne was the "right thing to do" regardless of the outcome.

He told BBC radio at the weekend that the UK government had been working alongside Buckingham Palace to stop Mountbatten-Windsor from "potentially being a heartbeat away from the throne".

UK media quoted unnamed royal sources saying Buckingham Palace would not oppose the move.

While King Charles was able to strip his brother of all his royal and military titles and banish him from Royal Lodge, removing him from the line of succession would require legislation in the UK and the other Commonwealth "realms", including Australia.

READ MORE: Inside the secret operation to arrest former prince Andrew

In November, University College London said if the worst were to happen to King Charles and then Prince William, Prince Harry would be next in line to be named as regent to Prince George, but only if he returned to the UK.

Were he to refuse, Mountbatten-Windsor would be next in line, although he was "unlikely to be considered suitable following his fall from grace".

"A person can only be removed as a counsellor of state by legislation," it said in an FAQ.

"Because seven people can now be called upon to act as counsellors of state, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is very unlikely to be called upon again."

- Reported with Associated Press

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