Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backs calls to remove Prince Andrew from the royal line of succession following his arrest, urging a full investigation.
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has formally backed calls to remove former prince Andrew from the royal line of succession.
In a letter to his UK counterpart Keir Starmer, Albanese stated that his government would agree to any proposal to remove Andrew from the succession.
“These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously,” Albanese added in his correspondence.
The British government is now considering passing a law to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession following his detention last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
King Charles III had already stripped his younger brother of all royal titles and ousted him from his Windsor home amid revelations from the files of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite this, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II remains eighth in line to the British throne, following Princess Lilibet, the daughter of his nephew Prince Harry.
Charles issued a rare, personally signed statement insisting that “the law must take its course” while attempting to maintain business as usual.
Albanese, who personally favours changing Australia to a republic, told Starmer he agreed with the king’s position.
“The law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation,” the prime minister wrote.
Australia, a former British colony for over a century which gained de facto independence in 1901, has never become a fully fledged republic.
In a 1999 referendum, Australians narrowly voted against removing Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state.
