New Zealand has indicated its readiness to support the UK Government should it move to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. The development follows his arrest last Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The arrest stems from accusations that Andrew, while serving as the UK’s trade envoy, shared sensitive information with convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, confirmed the country’s position, stating: "If the UK Government proposes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the order of succession, New Zealand would support it." The spokesperson added that the UK Government has indicated any such proposals would only emerge after the conclusion of the ongoing police investigation.
This backing from New Zealand echoes a similar stance taken by Australia. Its Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, previously wrote to Sir Keir Starmer, expressing his government’s support for "any proposal" to remove Andrew from the line of succession. In his letter, Mr Albanese highlighted that Andrew was facing "grave allegations," which Australians "take seriously."
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on radio on Tuesday, Mr Albanese said Sir Keir “thanked me for our position” and said the Australian government would be “writing today to the other realm countries as well, informing them of our position”.
Despite being stripped of his title last year, the former duke of York is still eighth in line to the throne, and an Act of Parliament would be required to remove Andrew and prevent him from ever becoming king.
The UK Government will consider introducing such legislation once police have finished their investigation into the King’s disgraced brother, the Press Association understands.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Liberal Democrats will seek to force the public release of files relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a trade envoy.
The Lib Dems will table a humble address in the Commons – the same arcane mechanism the Tories used to press for the release of files on Lord Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador – in a bid to compel the Government to disclose information about Andrew, who served as a trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
The motion will call for the release of papers relating to Andrew’s appointment to the post, including any vetting and any correspondence from Lord Mandelson.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The public is rightly demanding to know how Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed to represent our nation in a high-level trade role.
“The Liberal Democrats are moving a binding motion to force the Government to come clean.
“We need to see the vetting files, the due diligence reports, and the correspondence to understand how this appointment came to be, and whether glaring warning signs were missed.
“There’s also a much broader principle at stake here. No one, regardless of their title or their friends, should be beyond the scrutiny of Parliament.
“It is time to end the age of impunity, scrap rules that stifle scrutiny or debate, and ensure that everyone in public office – no matter how powerful – can be held properly to account.”
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his links to the convicted sex offender, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
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