Carney says former prince Andrew should be moved from the line to the throne – nationally
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday he believed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the line of succession to the British throne for his “regrettable” actions, but noted that he would respect the ongoing process in the country.
“I personally do, yes,” Carney told reporters in Tokyo when asked about former executive Andrew.
“There is a process (in progress) to define that process, but I certainly think that his actions, which are sad and have caused him to be deprived of his royal position, certainly deserve, if that word – necessity is a better word – his removal from the line of succession.
The comments were notable from the leader of the Commonwealth of Nations, all 14 of which will need to approve the change in the line of succession.
Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of her royal status last year over her relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, he remains eighth in line to the throne as the younger brother of King Charles III.
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
The British government confirmed last month that it was “not taking action” to change that after Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following the release last month of millions of pages of files related to Epstein by the US Department of Justice.
Those documents led to allegations that the former prince shared confidential business information with the disgraced financier when he served as the UK’s trade ambassador from 2001 to 2011.
Mountbatten-Windsor was released without charge after spending nearly 11 hours in custody, but remains under investigation.
“The government is clear that we are not taking steps in relation to the line of succession at this time, and we will consider whether any further steps are needed in the future,” Darren Jones, chief secretary to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, told law enforcement after the arrest.
Removing someone from the succession list would require an act of Parliament, which requires the approval of lawmakers.
Under the current line of royal succession, Charles’ son, Prince William, is the heir to the throne and his three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – are next. Prince Harry is fifth, and 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 birth – currently follows them in eighth place. His daughters, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, are in ninth and 12th place, respectively.
Australia and New Zealand have said they will support any UK government plan to exclude Mountbatten-Windsor.
“These are serious allegations and the Australian people take them very seriously,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote in a letter to Starmer last month.
“I agree with His Majesty that the law must now be in full force and there must be a thorough, fair and proper investigation.”
-via files from the Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
