The Canadian prime minister has joined a growing list of Commonwealth leaders backing the removal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession.
Mark Carney, who previously served as the governor of the Bank of England, condemned the former prince’s behaviour as “deplorable” and said his actions “necessitate” his removal.
While the Canadian prime minister acknowledged the possibility of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – who is eighth in line to the throne – becoming King was small, he believed it was a “point of principle”.
The arrest of the former prince last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office reignited calls for him to be formally removed from the royal line of succession.
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Any changes to the line of succession in the UK can only be made with an act of parliament and requires the agreement of the 14 other countries that also have King Charles as head of state.
Mr Carney did not release a formal statement, but was responding to questions from reporters in Tokyo on the final day of his tour of Japan.
He said that even though Mountbatten-Windsor is “well down” the line of succession, the “point of principle stands”.
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The Canadian PM added: “I certainly think his actions are deplorable and have caused him to be stripped of his royal titles, certainly…necessitate his removal from the line of succession.”
He also said there is a process to remove someone from the line of succession, which he said should be followed.
Mr Carney has become the latest leader to back that move, after Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand came out in support of the action in February.
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Speaking in February, Sky’s royal commentator Alastair Bruce said the procedure would not be straightforward.
He said: “It takes a lot of time, and I think parliaments across the world who have the King as head of state will not be looking forward to having to find time to do this.”
The former prince is currently eighth in line after Princes William and Harry and their five children.
The ex-Duke of York gave up his royal titles in October last year after new details about his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were released by the US Department of Justice.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.
