Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say he would back any UK government plan to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, a statement shared by Starmer's office said.
"In light of recent events concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, I am writing to confirm that my government would agree to any proposal to remove him from the line of royal succession," the statement said.
Last week, a UK official said the British government was considering introducing legislation to ensure Mountbatten-Windsor, currently eighth-in-line to the throne, could never be king following his arrest as part of a police investigation into his alleged ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
King Charles is not only the Monarch and Head of State in Britain, but also in Australia and 13 other countries.
"I agree with His Majesty that the law must now take its full course and there must be a full, fair and proper investigation," Albanese letter said.
"These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously," he added.
Meanwhile, a senior Conservative MP and the former Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, has raised the prospect of treason as he calls for a parliamentary inquiry into Epstein-linked allegations involving the former prince and Lord Mandelson, citing potential foreign influence and national security risks.
In an interview with The Sun on Sunday newspaper, Tugendhat said the body should have powers to summon witnesses and demand documents to examine claims of foreign influence and national security risks linked to the Epstein scandal.
Tugendhat questioned what ministers and the Palace knew about the allegations and whether Britain’s treason laws, written more than 700 years ago, need to be updated. He said Parliament must consider what the scandal means for the country beyond a court's decision.
Under UK law, treason includes plotting the death of the monarch, waging war against the Crown, or aiding the King’s enemies. If proven, it is one of the most serious crimes in British law.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Lord Mandelson are both under police investigation for alleged misconduct in public office.
Former Prince Andrew was arrested and released last week and is under investigation over claims he allegedly passed confidential reports while serving as a trade envoy. Mandelson is alleged to have shared market-sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while a government minister. Both deny any wrongdoing.
If treason were proven, it would be one of the gravest crimes against the Crown and therefore against Andrew's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The last person convicted of treason in the UK, Jaswant Singh Chail, was jailed in 2023 over a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth, for which he was sentenced to nine years. He was arrested on Christmas Day in 2021 at Windsor Castle with a crossbow. He pleaded guilty under the Treason Act 1842.
Uzbekistan has secured preferential tariffs for fertiliser and petroleum product shipments through Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port to Georgian ports, as Uzb...
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must ...
Police in eastern India used tear gas, batons and water cannon on Monday to disperse thousands of young protesters marching on the Jharkhand state leg...
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of August, covering the latest developments.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
On 10 August, AnewZ’s Daybreak focused on developments in Gaza, Lebanon-Israel negotiations, Iran’s position on talks with Washington and the latest global security and climate-related challenges.
Eclipse fever is building in Madrid as residents and visitors rush to secure protective glasses ahead of a rare total solar eclipse near sunset on Wednesday (12 August).
A gunman was arrested after opening fire at a local government office near Bangkok on Monday, days after a deadly school shooting renewed debate over gun control in Thailand.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
The future of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza roadmap remains uncertain, with Israel and Hamas divided over its implementation, particularly the sequence of Hamas’s disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment