Most Canadians want Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor removed from line of succession: poll

A new survey says there’s a growing desire among Canadians to cut ties with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Most Canadians want Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor removed from the Royal Family’s line of succession, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute.

The 66-year-old former prince and brother of King Charles III currently remains eighth in line to the throne, positioned behind Prince Harry’s children.

The poll found 84 per cent of Canadians support removing Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession:

• 73 per cent strongly support his removal
• 11 per cent moderately support his removal
• 10 per cent weren’t sure or couldn’t say
• four per cent moderately oppose his removal
• three per cent strongly oppose his removal

While Canadians feel strongly about preventing Mountbatten-Windsor from ever becoming King, it appears they feel indifferent about the Royal Family in general.

The poll found about half of Canadians — 51 per cent — feel the Royal Family is no longer relevant, while just two per cent said the Windsors are more relevant than ever.

When asked whether Canada should “continue as a constitutional monarchy for generations to come,” 47 per cent of respondents said “no,” while 29 per cent said “yes.” Twenty-four per cent said they weren’t sure.

And when it comes to King Charles III, 48 per cent said they oppose recognizing him as Canada’s head of state, while 42 per cent support it.

“When there’s real negativity about a certain royal, like now, then you see an uptick in public opinion,” says David Johnson, a retired political scientist who wrote a book titled “Battle Royal: Monarchists vs. Republicans and the Crown of Canada.”

Johnson says people’s feelings about the monarchy change often, noting there was a rise in support following the King’s visit to Canada and speech from the throne last year.

“So, this was finally a sense that, here’s the King in Canada, speaking to an international audience, and certainly speaking to ‘you-know-who’ at the White House,” says Johnson, alluding to U.S. President Donald Trump. “You-know-who admires the British monarchy. So, again, Canadians loved this.”

Johnson adds it would take a constitutional amendment to abolish the monarchy in Canada, so he doesn’t think the Royal Family is going anywhere anytime soon.

As for removing Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, Johnson says that would require an act of Parliament.

The U.K. government has said it’s currently reviewing options.

“The government is clear that we are not ruling out action in respect of the line of succession at this stage, and we will consider whether any further steps are required in due course,” Darren Jones, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief secretary, told lawmakers last week.

It has been 90 years since a British royal was removed from the line of succession, when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936.

The Angus Reid Institute surveyed a randomized sample of 1,607 Canadian adults online from Feb. 24 to 26.

Embroiled in controversy

The poll results, released Monday, come three days after Prime Minister Mark Carney said he believes the former prince should be cut from the line of succession.

“Personally, I do. Yes,” Carney said when asked directly about the issue while speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.

While he believes Mountbatten-Windsor should be stripped of his title, Carney said he acknowledges “there’s a process.”

“I certainly think his actions, which are deplorable … have caused him to be stripped of his royal title,” he added.

Mountbatten-Windsor has been embroiled in controversy for years over his long-term friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last month, he was arrested and released without charges on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Authorities are investigating whether he shared confidential information with Epstein while serving as trade envoy for the U.K. from 2001 to 2011.

In October 2025 he was stripped of his royal title over his links to Epstein, but Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Stephanie Ha