Prime Minister Mark Carney says it's time to formally bar Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from ever taking the throne. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Friday, Carney called Andrew's conduct and ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein "deplorable" and said it "necessitates" his removal from the royal line of succession, even though the disgraced former prince currently sits eighth in the queue and is considered highly unlikely to ever become king, reports the CBC.
Doing so wouldn't be simple. Because King Charles is head of state in 15 Commonwealth realms, Carney said any move would have to be coordinated with those countries to avoid Andrew's accidental elevation in any of them. His comments follow Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's push to start the process after Andrew was arrested for misconduct in public office, which Albanese called "grave" in a letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Times of London notes that New Zealand is also on board with yanking Andrew from the line of succession.
Andrew has already been stripped of his royal titles over his ties to Epstein, but that didn't affect the laws governing succession. The last major succession change came in 2013, when Commonwealth realms agreed to end male preference and other outdated rules—an example Carney now wants them to follow again, per the CBC. The UK government is said to be mulling Andrew's removal from the succession line. The AP notes that Charles' oldest son, William, is set to be king next, with his three kids—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—next in line after him.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
