A huge 82% of the public want Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be cut from the line of succession. As MPs echoed the poll’s verdict, the government said it would consider changing the law once a police probe into the arrested ex-prince is finished. He remains eighth in line to the throne, despite being stripped of his titles.

Detectives investigating allegations of misconduct in public office said that searches at his former Windsor home will continue until Monday. The King’s younger brother, who spent most of his 66th birthday on Thursday in ­custody in Norfolk, has always denied any allegations of wrongdoing over his links to the late paedophile tycoon Jeffrey Epstein.

Pressure is mounting on Sir Keir Starmer to act, with growing calls for Parliament to shut down any chance – however remote – of the disgraced royal ever taking the throne. MPs from across the political spectrum have demanded decisive action.

A YouGov poll, carried out after Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest at his temporary home on the Sandringham estate, found 82% of the 7,242 adults who were asked want him removed as a potential successor. Just 6% thought he should stay, while 12% said they did not know.

Charles would not oppose any move to alter the succession in that way but it would require Parliament to pass a law. Any changes would also need the agreement of other nations where he is King, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

James Murray, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: “The government is considering any further steps that might be required, and we’re not ruling anything out. But at this stage, it would be inappropriate for us to go any further because there is a live police investigation under way.”

Labour MP Rachael Maskell said yesterday: “I would support legislation to remove Andrew from the line of succession.” She also wants him removed as a Counsellor of State – a position held by senior royals who may need to act on behalf of the monarch.

Ms Maskell said while “investigations are ongoing, there is clearly concerning evidence pointing to his handling of confidential information and his associations, including with victims and survivors of sexual abuse”.

MP Carolyn Harris, deputy leader of Welsh Labour, said: “The position of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is untenable. He is an embarrassment to HRH, the Royal Family and the country.” She added that, while “we revere our royals”, Mountbatten-Windsor has “for years been a blight on our country”.

Tonia Antoniazzi, a Labour MP who leads a cross-party group on combatting sexual exploitation, was asked if he should be removed and replied: “Yes, he should be.”

Tory MP Andrew Bowie, Shadow Scotland Secretary, said: “If he’s found guilty of this, I think Parliament would be well within its rights to act to remove him from the line of succession. But, let’s remember, he’s not been found guilty of anything just yet – he has yet to be charged with anything.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The most important thing right now is that the police be allowed to get on with their job.
“But clearly this is an issue that Parliament is going to have to consider when the time is right, naturally the monarchy will want to make sure he can never become King.”

Mountbatten-Windsor, the first senior royal arrested in modern times, was held for around 11 hours before he was released under investigation by Thames Valley Police and driven back to Wood Farm, looking disturbed and in shock after being interviewed.
The five-bedroom house was used by his late father Prince Philip in his retirement.

It is understood the Crown Prosecution Service has not yet provided “early investigative advice” to the police. A helicopter circled Royal Lodge in Windsor yesterday as vans, thought to be police vehicles, entered the grounds. Mountbatten-Windsor was held on suspicion that he shared sensitive information with Epstein in his time as a UK trade envoy.

He has not publicly responded to the latest claims. The King and Buckingham Palace were not warned ahead of his arrest but Charles later released an unprecedented statement, backed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying: “The law must take its course.”

The King added that the police investigation has “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”. Nine forces are examining Epstein’s ties to Britain, including allegations linked to Mountbatten-Windsor.

The CPS says misconduct in public office is defined as “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held” and carries a maximum sentence upon conviction of life imprisonment.

Mountbatten-Windsor was made special representative for international trade and investment in 2001 but quit in 2011 amid a furore over his friendship with Epstein – who was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019. The King stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his royal titles in October but No10 said at the time that plans for a law to change the line of succession did not exist.

The ex-Duke of York is behind the Prince of Wales, his children George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven, then the Duke of Sussex and his children Archie, six and Lilibet, four. Legislation to change that line-up is complex and also needs the approval of all 14 Commonwealth realms.

The monarchy now faces one of its biggest crises since the death of Princess Diana in 1997 and the 1936 abdication of Edward VIII, who renounced the throne to marry US divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Royal author Robert Hardman suggested the King could take action directly if Mountbatten-Windsor was charged and convicted. He said: “When it’s all over, there are more things he can do…one of them, I would say, would be to remove his brother from the line of succession.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said yesterday that Parliament should wait for the police investigation to conclude.