Ex-Prince Andrew Urged to ‘Voluntarily’ Give Up His Place in Succession, Says Royal Biographer

One person is faring far worse than the others during a tumultuous time in the royal family: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Now living in unofficial exile on the king’s private Sandringham estate, the disgraced former Duke of York, 66, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following claims he shared confidential government information with the late financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein while serving as Britain’s trade envoy. And the pressure is growing for him to give up his place in the line of succession or risk being forced out by Parliament.

During a March 16 appearance on Harry Cole Saves the West podcast, Tom Bower, the royal biographer, revealed that a palace emissary recently paid Andrew a visit with “an offer he can’t refuse,” strongly suggesting he “voluntarily gives up” his place (he’s currently eighth in line). “He can sign a form saying he renounces the succession,” Bower explained, according to multiple reports. “That ends it straight away and that would be the cleanest solution.”

The move would spare The Firm and the government a messy constitutional battle. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed officials are already “looking at options” for removal while leaders in the Commonwealth realms of Canada, Australia and New Zealand have publicly backed axing Andrew, signaling Andrew’s royal fate will soon be sealed one way or another.