Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the arrest of Prince Andrew, formerly known as His Royal Highness, as an “extraordinary fall from grace,” but affirmed the incident will not trigger another referendum on Australia becoming a republic. The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and questioned by police regarding allegations he shared classified material with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Albanese addressed the arrest during an appearance on the Guardian’s Australian Politics podcast, stating that Mountbatten-Windsor had lived a life of “absolute privilege.” He acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, but cautioned that limited comment was possible due to ongoing legal proceedings. “These are incredibly serious allegations, and because they will be, no doubt, the subject of court action, I’m limited in what I can say,” Albanese said. “But people will be following the detail here. This appears to be about [classified] documents, and whether they were inappropriately forwarded on to someone who wasn’t eligible.”
Despite his longstanding republican views, Albanese indicated that the current crisis within the British royal family would not prompt a renewed push for a referendum on Australia’s constitutional monarchy. “I’m a republican but we had a referendum during the last term,” he said, referencing the 1999 referendum which failed to secure a majority vote in favor of a republic. “Referendums are hard to pass in Australia.”
Albanese similarly expressed respect for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, highlighting a positive relationship with the monarch and praising his recent visit to Australia. “I have respect for King Charles, I must say, and for Queen Camilla. I have had a good relationship with him. He very much loves Australia. And his visit here, I must say, was a very positive one,” he stated. However, he reiterated his belief that Australia should eventually have an Australian head of state.
The Prime Minister also noted the “decline and fall” of the former prince, describing it as “extraordinary” given his previously “esteemed position.”
The arrest took place on February 20th, 2026, at Mountbatten-Windsor’s Sandringham home, coinciding with his 66th birthday. He was questioned for eleven hours at Aylsham police station in Norfolk before being released.
Former chair of the Australian Republican Movement, Craig Foster, called for a national conversation regarding Australia’s ties to the monarchy in light of the arrest. “It should spark a national conversation about the standards we will accept, how we want to observe ourselves, be seen in the world, and particularly what we want our next generation of Aussies, in all of our beautiful diversity, to understand as our value set,” Foster said. He stepped down from his role as chair in 2024.
David Flint, convenor of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, suggested that Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the line of succession, though he acknowledged the difficulty of amending the legislation governing succession, which requires unanimous agreement from all 15 Commonwealth realms. Flint also downplayed the potential impact of the arrest on the republican movement, suggesting that Australians are more concerned with domestic issues such as the cost of living and housing.
Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles in October 2023 but remains in the line of succession to the throne. Albanese stated he was unaware of any related investigations currently underway in Australia.
