Andrews' ties with Britain's royal family under threat as UK govt considers move to remove him from line of succession

Britain's King Charles III (right) stripped Prince Andrews of his royal title in October last year.

• UK may remove Prince Andrew from royal line after Epstein investigation
• 15 nations must approve legislation to remove Andrew
• Andrew questioned by police but not charged, denies wrongdoing

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor or Prince Andrew, as he was more commonly known, once had everything in place. Titles, honours, royal standing, official residence-everything that a monarch may desire to have in his life.

All it took for everything to fall in shambles for Britain King Charle III's brother was his association with late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

While Andrews was already stripped of his titles, including "prince", last October, a decision which King Charles III took in October 2025 to protect the monarchy's reputation, after the former's relationship with Epstein, he still remained in line for succession to the throne and was eighth in line after Prince William and his three children and Prince Harry and his two children.

Now, even that lingering position is under mounting scrutiny as the UK government, after Andrew's arrest in connection with the Epstein case, is weighing legislation that would formally remove him from the line of succession — a move that could mark the final severing of his ties to royal power.

On Thursday evening, Andrew was released after being probed over 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Thames Police are investigating whether the former Prince passed sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein during his decade-long tenure as a UK trade envoy, a role that ended in 2011.

So far, Prince Andrew has not been charged with any crime and he has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

According to a news report in the BBC, UK Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the move, which would prevent Andrew from ever becoming King, was the "right thing to do," regardless of the outcome of the police investigation.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions programme, Pollard confirmed the government had "absolutely" been working with Buckingham Palace on the plans to stop the former prince from "potentially being a heartbeat away from the throne".

Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented on the government's plans to remove Andrew from the line of succession, reported BBC.

Defence Minister Pollard said Andrew's removal from the line of succession was "something that I hope will enjoy cross party support, but its right that that is something that only happens when the police investigation concludes".

Why the govt wants to remove Andrew? 

The government's proposal to remove Andrew from the line of succession comes after some MPs, including the Liberal Democrats and SNP, signalled their support for such a legislation.

According to BBC, some Labour parliamentarians who have been critical of the monarchy were less convinced the move was required because it is unlikely that the former Duke of York would ever get near to the throne.

Andrew sits eighth in the line of succession, behind Prince William and his three children — George, Charlotte and Louis — and then Prince Harry and his two children, Archie and Lilibet. In practical terms, the odds of Andrew ever ascending to the throne are extremely small. Although Andrew has been stripped off his title, his daughters, Eugenie and Beatrice, retained their titles as ‘Princesses’.

How can Andrew be removed from the line of succession?

According to a report in The Indian Express, removing someone from the line of succession is not something a king can do by royal decree, nor something the government can achieve through a quiet administrative measure. It requires an Act of Parliament.

And not just the British Parliament. Because King Charles is the head of state in 14 other countries — including Canada and Australia — any change to the line of succession would also require consultation and formal agreement with the parliaments of each of those realms. That’s a lengthy, politically complex process that involves sovereign nations being asked to align their own legislation with Westminster’s.

However, the Parliament has the power to act, only after the police investigation ends. Andrews' removal would also strip him of his Counsellor of State status — part of the group of senior royals who could theoretically stand in for King Charles if the monarch were ill or abroad.

In practice, only working royals fulfil that role. In 2019, Mountbatten-Windsor stepped back from his duties following his infamous interview with the BBC, where he spoke about his relationship with Epstein.