It is understood the Government will consider passing legislation to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his right to inherit the throne, once any police investigation is concluded.
Several politicians have called for the former crown prince to be removed from the line of succession after he was arrested and questioned by detectives on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Although he gave up his royal titles in October after new information about his relationship with the late financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne after Princes William and Harry and their children.
This means that Andrew is still an adviser of state, a group of senior royals who can be named to fill in for King Charles if he is ill or abroad, which in practice would never happen to him, as only working royals are used.
Removing him from the line of succession would require an Act of Parliament, as well as consultation and agreement with other countries and territories that share the monarchy. It is known that concrete plans are being prepared for this only after the completion of the investigation.
The Liberal Democrats called on Friday to consider the issue. “The most important thing right now is that the police are allowed to carry on with their work, treated with fear or favour,” Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said in a statement.
“But obviously this is an issue for Parliament to consider when the time is right – naturally the monarchy has to make sure he never becomes king.”
Andrew Bowie, the Conservatives’ shadow Scotland secretary, made a similar argument, telling GB News that Andrew’s sacking was “a good thing”.
Bowie said: “Of course, if he is found guilty of this, I think Parliament would be within its rights to remove him from the line of succession.
“But, remember, he hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet – he hasn’t been charged with anything yet. So we have to let the police investigation run its course and I think we all have to act accordingly after that.”
Among Labor MPs, Rachel Maskell, who represents York Central, says Parliament needs to act.
“From the evidence already in the public domain, it is clear that his position as State Counselor and succession rights has been removed, as well as all titles,” she said. “I am confident that legislation can be passed to achieve this. I am pleased that the King is seeking to help as much as he can, and supporting Parliament to take action will help this.”
The SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, also called for action to remove the risk of Andrew becoming head of state, while Labor MP Richard Burgon called for an independent inquiry into what the wider royal family knew about Andrew’s relationship with Epstein: “It is time for a serious national debate about abolishing the kingdom.”
Jack Polanski, leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, which supports the abolition of the monarchy, said he believed Andrew’s case could hasten the moment.
“When people are ready to have a national conversation about the monarchy, I think issues like this certainly don’t help the monarchy,” he told reporters on the campaign trail for the Gorton and Denton by-election next week.
