Saturday 21st of February 2026
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no more in the long line of crownable dudes....

London: The British government has signalled plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, as police launched further inquiries into his former security team.

The proposal will depend on the outcome of the police investigation but it represents a dramatic reversal on the government stance last year, as new polling shows strong public support for the official act to ensure the former prince could never become king.

Mountbatten-Windsor was for many years the second in line to the throne, but is now eighth after Prince William and his three children, as well as Prince Harry and his two children.

The plan, briefed by the UK government to the British media, sets up a decision for Australia and other Commonwealth nations that would need to pass laws to alter the line of succession in order to reflect the popular will and the law in Westminster.

Mountbatten-Windsor was released from police custody late on Thursday (London time) after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.

Thames Valley Police investigators conducted a second day of searches through his former residence at Windsor, known as Royal Lodge, and are preparing to return if needed after the weekend to seek more evidence.

n a separate move, the Metropolitan Police announced further work on months of concern about the actions of Mountbatten-Windsor’s security team, asking them to “consider carefully” whether they knew anything that should be pursued by police.

The Metropolitan Police also said it was assessing claims that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – a friend of Mountbatten-Windsor for many years – used London airports for human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Amid several lines of inquiry into Mountbatten-Windsor and his friendship with Epstein, attention focused on his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office during his time as an official UK trade envoy with access to confidential government information.

The Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice include emails suggesting the former prince sent government documents to Epstein, such as a briefing on a trade mission to Asia and investments in Afghanistan.

In a further development, London’s Daily Telegraph reported on Friday (London time) that Epstein sought to help Mountbatten-Windsor set up a £1 million ($1.9m) company to share commissions for funds management work.

The US documents include a draft agreement that would have given Mountbatten-Windsor a 40 per cent cut of future profits from the joint venture with investment company Cantor Fitzgerald. The deal was discussed with David Stern, a businessman who was close to Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor.

READ MORE:

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/uk-signals-plan-to-cut-former-prince-andrew-from-royal-line-of-succession-20260221-p5o48d.html

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

terrible pollies....

 

With Andrew Arrested, Mandelson Faces Similar Probe, Plus Questions on Tory Ties on Israel

By Martin Williams

Declassified UK

 

Peter Mandelson claimed he conducted unofficial diplomacy with Israel on behalf of the last Conservative government after fresh details of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein had emerged, Declassified has found.

The disgraced Labour grandee said he raised questions with the Israeli government in the early months of the Palestinian genocide “on behalf” of then-foreign secretary, David Cameron, who returned to government in November 2023.

New details of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein had emerged in June that year, with U.K. media outlets reporting that he stayed in contact with the billionaire long after his conviction for child sex offences.

Yet Mandelson boasted about an apparent role with Rishi Sunak’s government months later during a Zoom call with a former Israeli military spokesman in April 2024.  

The revelation comes as the Conservatives are heavily criticising Labour for appointing Mandelson as British ambassador to Washington, saying he should have had no role in U.K. foreign policy once details of his ties to Epstein became known.

Cameron did not initially respond to requests for comment. But since this article was published, his spokesperson has said he does not recognise Mandelson’s claims. 

[Mandelson is being investigated for giving insider government information to Epstein. The former Prince Andrew was arrested on Wednesday and is being investigated for a similar alleged abuse of power. 

During Andrew’s time as Britain’s special representative for trade and investment documents reportedly show that he shared confidential government information regarding trade with Epstein.]

Personal Gain?

Mandelson’s Zoom meeting took place weeks after three British aid workers were killed by Israel in Gaza.

It was organised by the European Leadership Network (ELNET), which describes itself as “the most influential pro-Israel advocacy organisation in Europe.” A recording was later published on its YouTube channel.

The video shows Mandelson saying: 

“[The Israeli government is] allowing aid to come in through Ashdod port, which they have been asked to do repeatedly by its allies since the beginning of the year. 

Indeed, I did myself on behalf of the Foreign Secretary when I was in Israel.”

He also suggested that he had been in discussions days earlier with the head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli defence ministry unit overseeing policies and coordinating aid in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

Mandelson concluded his comments on the Zoom call by saying: “The [Israeli] government might be better off if it listened more to the IDF. If you can pass on that one.”

A spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign Office refused to comment about Mandelson’s stated role, saying it would be inappropriate for them to discuss allegations against the previous government.

Cameron’s spokesperson said of the Mandelson claims: 

“We do not recognise this at all. Peter Mandelson was never asked to represent Lord Cameron or the government on foreign affairs.

It was, however, the government’s policy to ask Israel repeatedly to open Ashdod Port to allow for more aid to flow into Gaza, something Lord Cameron regularly referred to in the House of Lords and in the media.”

At the time, Mandelson did not hold any official government positions and was still director of his lobbying firm, Global Counsel.

The company’s clients include the spy tech company Palantir, co-founded by Jeffrey Epstein’s “great friend” Peter Thiel.

John McDonnell, the former Labour shadow chancellor, told Declassified: “The question to be asked about Mandelson’s involvement in any political or diplomatic venture is whether its motive was public service or personal gain.”

‘Shadowy back channels’

Mandelson’s diplomatic efforts are likely to have come in January 2024, when he attended an ELNET trip to Israel.

The delegation included former Conservative Party leader Lord Michael Howard and the former director of Conservative Friends of Israel, Lord Stuart Polak. 

They spent an hour with the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, as well as attending a military briefing from the IDF and dining with “high-ranking Israeli policy makers.” 

During the trip Mandelson attended an ELNET dinner where Britain’s ambassador to Israel was present.

One delegate later said that the Israeli side “came to talk to us and not to listen,” adding: “Israel needs an election soon to get rid of these terrible politicians.”

The independent MP Zarah Sultana told Declassified: 

“It is another stain on our democracy that Peter Mandelson was conducting unofficial diplomacy with Israel while it was committing genocide in Gaza and doing so ‘on behalf of’ the foreign secretary.

This is the same rotten pattern we keep seeing: a political establishment that operates through shadowy back channels, beyond democratic scrutiny, where the same well-connected figures resurface again and again no matter how many scandals trail behind them.”

She added: 

“The government must urgently remove Palantir from all public contracts and establish a full independent public inquiry into Peter Mandelson’s role, his contacts, and who he was really working for.”

The Conservative Party and Global Counsel did not respond to questions from Declassified.

Martin Williams is Declassified UK’s chief investigator. He previously worked for The Guardian, Channel 4 News and openDemocracy, where he was U.K. investigations editor. His book, Parliament Ltd, exposed widespread corruption in British politics and sparked multiple inquiries by Westminster authorities.

This article is from Declassified UK.

https://consortiumnews.com/2026/02/19/with-andrew-arrested-mandelson-faces-similar-probe-plus-questions-on-tory-ties-to-israel/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.