Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, is being stripped of his royal titles following a string of scandals, such as his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement that the 65-year-old brother of King Charles III will no longer use royal titles and will be moving out of the Royal Lodge to live on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor," a representative for the palace confirmed.
The statement added: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."
Andrew is actually eighth in line to the throne of the UK monarchy, raising questions as to whether the latest developments will impact this position in the line of succession.
It would be unlikely for Andrew to ascend the throne, given that William, Harry and their five children are first in line, but it raises some interesting points about how royal succession lines actually work.
Majesty Magazine’s managing editor Joe Little told PA Agency: “Clearly it would take quite a catastrophe for him to become king given all those that are ahead of him.”
“So might it not have been tidier to withdraw him from the line of succession.”
Could Andrew be king?
Andrew is still in the line of succession at the time of writing, meaning that theoretically he could still become king.
However, there are a lot of younger royals ahead of him in the hereditary succession line, meaning it’s quite unlikely that the crown would ever be passed to Andrew.
Here is the current line of succession after King Charles III:
1. William, The Prince of Wales
2. George, Prince of Wales
3. Charlotte, Princess of Wales
4. Louis, Prince of Wales
5. Harry, The Duke of Sussex
6. Archie, Prince of Sussex
7. Lilibet, Princess of Sussex
8. Andrew, The Duke of York
Can the line of succession change?
According to a briefing shared by the UK parliament, members of the royal family can still be removed from the line of succession, and that royals can be deprived of titles if they’re thought to be misgoverning.
However, it’s a somewhat complex process that requires an Act of Parliament.
Under the 1931 Statute of Westminster, to remove a person from the line of succession, Parliament would need to get the consent of every realm in the Commonwealth of which there are 56 nations.
It’s rare for the line of succession to change in a modern-day monarchy, but when Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, he also renounced the succession of his descendants, although he never had any children.
In 2013, the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 also voided disqualification if a person marries someone of the Roman Catholic faith. This change allowed for Prince Michael of Kent and George Windsor, the Earl of St Andrews, to have their distant line in the succession reinstated.
