Order for Harry to be given same treatment as Andrew
In the wake of his arrest, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s place in the line of succession is in jeopardy, under plans considered by the government. Sources have suggested the government will begin consultation after the conclusion of multiple police investigations into allegations surrounding Andrew’s conduct, with all 14 realms also needing to agree to the monumental change.With the UK government, and now Australia and New Zealand falling in line, supporting the move to formally remove the former prince from the succession line, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that if the line of succession undergoes a refresh, there are even more royals who should be removed.READ MORE: Prince Edward’s ex-girlfriend to release bombshell memoir about their romanceREAD MORE: Kate Middleton forced to decline fan's request due to unusual royal banSpeaking of the landmark decision to kick Andrew out of the line of succession, Jennie told the Mirror : “Of course Andrew should be removed from the line of succession. If you are not fit to be a prince, you’re certainly not fit to be King. It would also remove him as counsellor of state, which is another absurdity at the moment. Andrew is obviously not a suitable substitute for the King.”And Jennie added that other non-working royals and their children should be removed from the succession order too, keeping the line to the throne smaller and more concise. She said: “Personally, I think they should also remove Harry and his children, plus Beatrice, Eugenie and their children from the line of succession. I think to have William and his children followed by Anne (bumping her up the order) and Edward is more than enough. So I would propose a complete shake up of the succession order.”The royal expert added: “I think this long line of succession has become rather ridiculous. Very few people have any idea that someone called Athena Mapelli Mozzi or Ernest Brooksbank are 11th and 14th in line to the throne.”Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.When it comes to the line of succession, Jennie said it could, in theory, keep going on infinitely, so cutting down the order would make more sense for the future of the monarchy.She said: “I once made a television programme which showed that, in essence, we are all related to royalty and therefore all in the line of succession. It becomes silly. So I think we should simply have William and his children, followed by the much respected Princess Royal and then Prince Edward.”Prince Harry is currently fifth in line for the throne, behind Prince William and his three children, and Jennie believes that given he has no interest in his official royal duties, he too should also be removed from the succession line in the proposed shake-up.“It’s pretty obvious that Harry doesn’t want the job (why would he want to get back in the gilded cage that he saw as a “trap”), so we should gently ease him to one side,” she said. “Six people in line to the throne is, I would contend, more than enough.”While the line of succession could be changing, Jennie believes that the number of working royals should not be affected, as the current slimmed-down monarchy needs to have their vital representatives to carry on the work of the Firm.“I don’t, however, think there’s any need to further reduce the number of working Royals,” the royal expert said. “As Princess Anne herself has made clear, they are pretty stretched as it is. And with so many of the few that are left now in their 70s or older, there will be a further natural slimming down before George and his siblings are old enough to take on Royal duties.”Discussions to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession began just days after his arrest. The disgraced former prince would be removed by an Act of Parliament but only after agreement with the 14 British realms. Due to this, the Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese wrote to Keir Starmer to say he would back any plan.Australia, where King Charles is the head of state, was the first Commonwealth realm to publicly support the landmark move, as Albanese said in his statement: “These are grave allegations and Australians take them seriously.” Following suit, a spokesperson for New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon said: “If the UK Government proposes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the order of succession, New Zealand would support it.”Get the inside scoop on the monarchy with Mirror RoyalWHATSAPP GROUP: Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our Royal WhatsApp here.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.NEWSLETTER: Or sign up to the Mirror's Royal newsletter here to get all the biggest royal news and exclusive pictures, straight to your inbox.
Comments (0)