TOKYO, March 7 — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said today that former prince Andrew should be removed from the line of royal succession over his “deplorable” behaviour.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated for alleged misconduct in public office following revelations about his dealings with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He was arrested and released in February on suspicion of having passed confidential information to Epstein during his 2001-2011 role as a UK trade envoy.

“There is a process in order to do it... but I certainly think his actions which are deplorable and have caused him to be stripped of his royal titles, certainly... necessitate his removal from the line of succession,” Carney told reporters in Tokyo.

The Canadian PM was visiting Japan to hold talks with his counterpart Sanae Takaichi.

The former prince — who was stripped of his royal titles last year over his alleged connections to Epstein — has denied all wrongdoing.

Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, claimed she was trafficked three times to have sex with the British royal, starting in 2001 and twice when she was 17.

Andrew settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability.

Carney’s comment comes after Australia and New Zealand announced its support to remove Andrew from the line of succession.

Britain would have to initiate any change to the line of royal succession — but it would need the agreement of the 14 other Commonwealth realms that have King Charles III as head of state. — AFP