Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly called for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be removed from the line of succession to the British throne, adding his voice to a growing chorus of Commonwealth leaders demanding constitutional action over the disgraced former royal’s links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Carney made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Tokyo, saying that the actions that caused Mountbatten-Windsor to lose his royal titles “necessitate” his removal from the succession. He acknowledged that a formal process exists to bring about such a change and said it should be followed. “Even though he is well down the line,” Carney said, “the point of principle stands.”
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following a series of disclosures connected to his relationship with Epstein. He was released approximately 11 hours after his detention without charge but remains under investigation. The core allegation is that he passed confidential trade information to Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
Despite losing his royal titles in October last year, Mountbatten-Windsor remains eighth in line to become monarch. He has denied all wrongdoing.
Carney’s remarks came a day after he met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was the first Commonwealth realm leader to formally call for the process to begin after Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. In a letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Albanese described the allegations as “grave” and said his government would agree to any proposal to remove the former royal from the succession.
New Zealand has also expressed support for removal. Under current law, removing Mountbatten-Windsor from the succession would require an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom and the agreement of all 14 Commonwealth realms that share King Charles III as head of state. The last time such a change was made was following the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936.
The UK government is now understood to be considering legislation to effect the removal once the police investigation concludes, a shift from its earlier position that passing such a law would not be a good use of Parliament’s time.
