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The British government is considering introducing legislation to remove former Prince Andrew from the line of royal succession following his arrest and renewed scrutiny over his links to convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, British media reported Friday.
The proposal would prevent Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now officially known, from ever becoming king, the BBC reported.
Political reaction intensified after Andrew was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following new revelations from a recent U.S. court document release related to Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019.
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said parliament should examine the former prince’s place in the line of succession.
“Clearly this is an issue that parliament is going to have to consider when the time is right,” Davey said. “Naturally the monarchy will want to make sure he can never become king.”
Stephen Flynn, the Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader, told The Sun that public anger would be justified if a man accused of lying about his relationship with Epstein could still be in line to become head of state.
Andrew Bowie, the Conservative Party’s shadow Scotland secretary, said parliament would be within its rights to act if Andrew is found guilty. “Removing him from the line of succession would be the right thing to do,” he said.
A YouGov poll published Friday showed that 82% of Britons believe Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed entirely from the line of succession, compared with 6% who said he should remain.
The most recent change to the line of succession came in 2013, when parliament passed the Succession to the Crown Act, restoring eligibility to individuals previously excluded for marrying Catholics. The last time parliament removed someone from the line of succession was in 1936, when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne.
British newspapers on Friday carried front-page photographs of Andrew appearing haggard as he left a Norfolk police station late Thursday.
King Charles issued a rare personally signed statement insisting that “the law must take its course,” while seeking to continue official duties as normal.
Royal commentators said the arrest of a senior royal for the first time in centuries marked a moment of danger for the monarchy.
“I think the great challenge for the monarchy in the coming weeks, months, possibly longer, is the various unknowns in this particular crisis moment,” said royal historian Ed Owens.
Any charges or a trial could still be months away as investigations continue. Changing the line of succession would also take time, requiring legislation.
“Before the line of succession could be changed, it would require all 14 countries where King Charles is also head of state, as well as the UK, to amend succession law,” said constitutional expert Robert Hazell of University College London.
Public opinion has sharply turned against Mountbatten-Windsor.
“I’m really pleased that nobody’s above the law,” said Jo Mortimer, 64, in the Norfolk town of Aylsham, where Andrew was held in custody.
According to U.S. court documents released in January and seen by AFP, Mountbatten-Windsor appeared in a November 2010 email to have shared reports of his official visits to several Asian countries with Epstein, along with discussions about investment opportunities.
Epstein had already been convicted in the United States in 2008 on child prostitution charges.
Official guidance is understood to require trade envoys to maintain confidentiality over sensitive commercial and political information gathered during official visits.
Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, wrote in her posthumously published memoir that she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, twice when she was 17. Andrew settled a U.S. civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre in 2022 without admitting liability.
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Thames Valley Police said Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was arrested Thursday and released 11 hours later.
“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said.
On Feb. 9, police said they were assessing reports of alleged misconduct following the release of Epstein-related court files.
The younger brother of King Charles served as Britain’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011 and withdrew from royal duties in 2019 after his association with Epstein became public.
According to the January document release, Andrew sent Epstein details of upcoming official trips on Oct. 7, 2010, including visits to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. On Nov. 30, he appeared to forward official trip reports to Epstein shortly after receiving them.
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