One of the things people have zeroed in on after the former Prince Andrew scandal has been the line of succession. The disgraced prince was stripped of his titles and is currently under investigation, but he’s still eighth in the line of succession because changing it would require sweeping changes.

There are, of course, plenty of people ahead of him, including William, his kids, and Harry and his kids. A palace source recently told RadarOnline, “Andrew is still there because the law leaves him there, not because anyone thinks it is a good look. Pulling him out would mean coordinating a legislative fix across the Commonwealth, and that is not a simple palace decision.”

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“There is plenty of anger about him staying in the line, but the constitutional machinery is glacial,” the source added. “Unless governments on both sides of the Atlantic want to spend months untangling the same issue, he remains in place by default.”

Experts have said, “This is not a case of Parliament making one clean change and moving on. Each realm that shares the monarch has its own legal responsibilities, and every one of them would need to sign up to the same basic amendment.”

“That creates an awkward diplomatic exercise, because the practical risk of Andrew ever becoming king is vanishingly small, yet the legal steps to remove him are extensive. It is the kind of problem that looks simple in a newspaper headline and becomes far messier the moment lawyers get involved.”

So, what could happen? “There is a strong political instinct to act, but the legal structure is unforgiving. Some governments will not want to devote scarce parliamentary time to a change that has so little chance of becoming relevant in real life,” a source said.

As a constitutional expert put it, “As matters stand, the line of succession still puts Harry ahead of Andrew, so if William’s son George were to ascend the throne while still a minor, Harry would be first in line to serve as regent.

“If he could not do it, the next call would be to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and if he were unavailable, Princess Beatrice would follow,” they continued. “This is how Andrew could end up leapfrogging Harry in the line of succession.”

The chances of this happening are slim to none, of course, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t concern about the health of King Charles. In 2025, after a joint appearance with Prince William at London’s COP30 climate summit, that concern intensified. “His suit was hanging off him,” one insider told Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop. “He looked like a man fighting something bigger than he’s letting on.”

At the time, Buckingham Palace said Charles was “doing well” and “continuing light duties.” But according to Shuter, aides understand that the reality is “impossible to spin.” That means preparations for succession have already started. “They’re quietly preparing William to step up — fast,” one courtier revealed. “The illusion of perfect health is collapsing.”

“You can’t Photoshop frailty,” one palace watcher explained. “What we’re seeing is the reality behind the crown — a monarch in decline.”