SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
This is where we will end our live updates on the fallout from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest and release from custody. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Let’s take a quick look at the key information that has emerged today.
- Despite Mountbatten-Windsor’s release from custody, the 66-year-old remains under investigation for his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has neither been charged nor exonerated by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
- Officers will continue to search his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, until Monday according to BBC News. London’s Metropolitan Police have also asked Mountbatten-Windsor’s former protection officers to consider what they “saw or heard” while working for him.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will consider passing a law to remove the former Prince Andrew from the royal line of succession. He is currently eighth in line for the throne. According to a YouGov poll released on Friday, the change would have strong public support, with 82 per cent of the 7242 British voters polled agreeing they wanted him removed.
- If the British government pushes forward with him from the line of succession, it will need to be put into law across more than a dozen Commonwealth countries – including Australia and New Zealand – which have King Charles as their monarch.
- There’s been no sign of Mountbatten-Windsor since his release from custody and return to Sandringham in Norfolk yesterday.
- The Met said it was also investigating reports stemming from the Epstein files that London airports may have been used for human trafficking or sexual exploitation.
A UK minister says removing the former prince from the line of succession for the Crown would be the “right thing” to do, regardless of the outcome of the current police investigation.
Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard told BBC Radio 4 the government had been working directly with Buckingham Palace on plans to remove any potential claim to the throne by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The British government has signalled plans to remove him from the royal line of succession following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Mountbatten-Windsor was for many years the second in line to the throne, but is now eighth.
British MP Rachael Maskell argued in parliament in February that Andrew being “seven steps from the Crown” was an “unacceptable risk”.
Pollard said he hoped removing him from the line of succession would have cross-party support, but any changes would have to wait until the police investigation concluded.
While the British government has signalled it would consider removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession, it is not as simple as changing the law in the UK alone.
While King Charles used his powers as sovereign to demote his brother without needing any action by politicians – such as removing his peerage – the line of succession can only be changed by parliament.
The change would require matching laws by more than a dozen realms including Australia, New Zealand and Canada to ensure the former prince could not be considered an heir to the throne, similar to changes made more than a decade ago to introduce gender equality into the succession.
The changes on gender equality took several years to accomplish across the parliaments in every realm after then-UK prime minister David Cameron outlined the changes in 2011.
The Australian parliament passed the Succession to the Crown Bill in March 2015. State parliaments approved the same changes to ensure every realm was aligned.
According to the BBC, the last time someone was taken out of the line of succession by an act of parliament was in 1936, when Edward VIII and his descendants were removed following his abdication.
Police will continue to search Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor’s former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, until Monday, according to BBC News.
The BBC said that due to the sheer scale of the property – a 30-room mansion spanning 39 hectares – the forensic team is expected to be on-site for several days. The residence is located about 5km from Windsor Castle, in the county of Berkshire.
Searches at another property linked to the former prince in Norfolk have already concluded.
As the UK government considers removing Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor from the royal line of succession, it’s a good time to get reacquainted with who exactly is ahead of him.
For many years, the then Prince Andrew was second in line to the throne, after his older brother Charles. But he is now eighth.
The current heir to the throne is Prince William, followed by his three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Then comes Prince Harry who has distanced himself from the royal family, followed by his two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
After Mountbatten‑Windsor comes his oldest daughter Princess Beatrice, who has retained her title despite her father being stripped of his.
London: The British government has signalled plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor from the royal line of succession following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, as police launched further inquiries into his former security team.
The proposal will depend on the outcome of the police investigation but it represents a dramatic reversal on the government stance last year, as new polling shows strong public support for the official act to ensure the former Prince Andrew could never become king.
The plan, briefed by the UK government to the British media, sets up a decision for Australia and other Commonwealth nations that would need to pass laws to alter the line of succession in order to reflect the popular will and the law in Westminster.
Read the full article here.
In the hours after her brother Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor’s arrest, Princess Anne visited a prison as she carried on with royal duties much like her eldest brother, King Charles, who attended London Fashion Week.
Local news outlets captured the princess royal’s car leaving HMP Leeds men’s prison under police escort on Thursday (London time), after attending the facility in her capacity as patron of The Butler Trust.
The Butler Trust states Anne has been a patron since its inception in 1985, and “over the years, visited almost every prison across the UK (many of them more than once).”
The charity promotes excellence in UK prisons, probation and youth justice, recognising “Hidden Heroes” among staff.
Mountbatten‑Windsor was arrested at his home on Sandringham Estate and held in custody for more than 11 hours before his release from Aylsham police station.
London’s Metropolitan Police say they are aware of reports stemming from the Jeffrey Epstein files that London airports may have been used for human trafficking or sexual exploitation.
As part of a long statement released at 4pm on Friday (London time) – which separately included updates on the probe into Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor – the Met stated it was considering the newly released information about London’s airports.
“We are assessing this information and are actively seeking further detail from law enforcement partners, including those in the United States.”
Unmarked police vehicles and vans rolled through the grounds of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home on Friday as the police search ramped up.
For a second straight day, the 30-room mansion was the scene of intense activity. The low-key but sustained police presence marked a visible escalation, just a day after the former prince was held in custody for close to 11 hours.
Mountbatten-Windsor only left the mansion in Windsor in February following the fallout from the latest release of Epstein files, meaning many of his belongings are believed to remain inside.
Aerial images broadcast by the BBC appeared to show a large police evidence tent erected within the grounds, while at one point more than 20 vehicles were parked at the property.
Officers are expected to search each room, cataloguing any material deemed relevant – a slow and methodical process, the BBC reported.
The BBC understands searches at Royal Lodge are likely to continue until Monday.
Former British cabinet minister Peter Mandelson helped secure the job of UK trade envoy for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor against the wishes of the King, the London Telegraph reports.
Although the then Prince Charles expressed doubts about whether his brother was suitable for the role, he was reportedly overruled by Queen Elizabeth II, who was supported by Mandelson.
Despite controversy over the appointment, Mandelson said in public statements the then Prince Andrew was “well qualified” for the role.
Mandelson was removed from his post as British ambassador to the US last September over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
This masthead has reported Mandelson sent private documents to Epstein about an Australian “super profits” tax on global mining companies at the height of a 2010 political fight over the ambitious scheme to raise $9 billion a year.
Read the full article by the London Telegraph’s Gordon Rayner and Martin Evans here.
