Majority of Britons call for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be removed from royal line of succession

Findings come as police confirm disgraced former prince released under investigation following arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office

An overwhelming majority of Britons are calling for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be removed from the royal line of succession, according to a new poll.

Police confirmed the disgraced former prince has been released under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office at the Sandringham Estate on Thursday morning.

The royal, who turned 66 on Thursday, was in custody for around 11 hours, while officers have been searching properties linked to him.

Thames Valley Police are investigating allegations that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. The claims emerged in a new tranche of emails in the so-called Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice last month.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to his connections to Epstein.

Following his arrest, which marked the first time a senior royal has been arrested in the modern era, YouGov has published a poll on the British public’s opinions about the former duke’s position as eighth in line to the British throne.

An overwhelming majority of Britons are calling for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be removed from the line of succession, according to a new poll (PA)

The findings released on Friday show that four in five Britons (82 per cent) say Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who was already forced to give up his prince and Duke of York titles last year, should also be removed from the royal line of succession.

Only 6 per cent think he should not, according to the survey of 7,242 adults, and 12 per cent say they do not know.

Both Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, and Conservative MP Chris Philp are among the high-profile figures who have said the former Duke of York should no longer be in line for the throne.

In a statement, King Charles expressed “deepest concern” over his brother’s arrest. He added: “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.”

The current line of succession, which for hundreds of years has decided who will be the next monarch of Great Britain and the 15 other Commonwealth realms, is not immediately affected by the arrest, because removing someone is impossible without new legislation.

Police have been present at Royal Lodge, the former home of Mountbatten-Windsor in Windsor (PA)

This was the case when the former King Edward VIII and his descendants were removed by the Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 after he abdicated.

While a monarch can remove titles, removing someone from the line of succession requires parliamentary legislation across all Commonwealth realms.

To do that, the Westminster parliament would have to introduce a bill and pass it. Then, the move would require similar legislation in all of the Commonwealth parliaments, such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

A bit over a decade ago, with what came to be known as the Perth agreements, the Commonwealth parliaments did agree to change the rules around succession and gender. No longer would older princesses be leapfrogged by younger brothers to get a spot on the throne.

It happened very smoothly, so it is certainly possible for all Commonwealth parliaments to agree to coordinate on something. However, the Westminster parliament cannot instruct other parliaments to pass such legislation.

So, could all the Commonwealth parliaments coordinate to remove Mr Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession? As public pressure mounts, some say it is not beyond the realm of possibility, especially since it seems incompatible that he would lose his titles and still be in line for the throne.