Australia backs removal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from royal succession, Albanese says
Feb 23rd 2026
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told UK counterpart Keir Starmer Australia would support any law to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his place in the line of succession amid ongoing police reviews and his recent arrest.
- Albanese is the first Commonwealth leader to confirm support for legislation to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession.
- Andrew stopped official royal duties in 2019 and was stripped of his military titles by King Charles III last year but remains eighth in line to the throne.
- Any change to the succession requires all 15 Commonwealth realms that share the monarch to pass matching laws or give formal assent.
- At least nine UK police forces are reviewing or have launched investigations into allegations against Andrew, and he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation.
- Allegations include sexual abuse claims linked to Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who settled an out of court claim with Andrew in 2022, and accusations he shared sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein.
- Public support for Andrew in the UK is very low, with a YouGov survey in January finding just 3 percent of respondents had a positive view of him.