0:00
He found guilty of anything, though, to be fair to him
0:02
Mark Vilden? Oh, no. No, not yet. Nobody hasn't, though. No, no, no, you're right
0:08
Everyone has a right to a fair trial as well. I'll tell you what surprises me a little bit
0:13
It's the idea that the royal family apparently are in favour of this. Because one of the aspects of monarchy is the sense of mystique
0:23
And it is obviously the lottery of your birth that means you're on the line of succession
0:31
not that there's any merit or anything else that's involved in that. Whilst I personally am very much in favour of him being removed
0:38
from the line of succession, the difficulty, I suspect, is once this happens, won't there be a strong argument
0:43
from some people who say, well, let's get Harry out for number five
0:47
I have no problem with that. What about getting Eugenie and Beatrice off
0:51
Numbers nine and ten as well. But they've done nothing wrong. That's the difference. Well, Harry wrote that awful book
0:56
Once you break the spell of monarchy, I'm saying this is here because it has been passed
1:01
through the generations over 1,000 years. But it's always changed. The only constant in the history of the royal family
1:08
is change and reform. We used to think, didn't we, that they were chosen by God
1:12
I mean, most people don't think that now. There used to be a single monarch, now we have a royal family
1:17
They've always reinvented themselves in each generation, and this will be another important reform
1:22
It has to go to the Commonwealth, of course, don't forget. It has to go to 14 other countries
1:26
Right. It has to go through all of their parliaments as well. So it is going to be a drawn-out process
1:31
but I think ministers are minded to do this. I think ministers are, but what surprised me, as I say
1:35
is that the palace appears to be as well because there are a lot of other issues I mean I think they lost control of it I understandably now that it a police matter The arrest obviously came as a surprise as much to Buckingham Palace
1:48
as it did to anywhere else. And I just think that this is..
1:52
I mean, listen, I wouldn't want to be as excitable as some commentators are. This is not the end of the monarchy, necessarily
1:57
It's not, isn't it? But we are in unpredictable times. I think there will be much more clamour for much more accountability
2:05
from the royal family, much more transparency about their finances. And, you know, they have sweetheart deals on tax
2:11
Huge numbers of people are in grace and favour and peppercorn rent-type properties
2:15
I think there will be a demand that we want a full doomsday book of all of this. Do you think, perhaps, that the reason they are going to throw him under the bus
2:21
is to allow the institution to survive? Because certainly, historically, they're very good at that as well, aren't they
2:26
No, no, they are ruthless, and that's why they've survived as well as they have for 1,000 years. There's no doubt about that
2:31
But I think the next thing, you know, I think the practicality, The idea that he can stay living in Sandringham
2:35
I think that's a non-starter. That is far too close to home for the royal family
2:39
Should he get a job, then, and do some work? No, I mean, maybe..
2:42
Listen, I'm being slightly serious, but an exile to one of the Ascension Islands, St Helena
2:47
or something like that, are really out of sight and out of mind. Well, he's going to go to the Middle East, isn't he
2:51
There'll be another royal family somewhere else that'll take him in. Well, I'm not sure necessarily they would want to taint themselves
2:57
particularly as everything plays out with Epstein. So I think we're in very unpredictable waters
3:02
And what slightly surprises me is that the palace have allowed this to run and run
3:07
this idea that Andrew will be taken off that line of succession. And as I say, I'm not convinced that this doesn't open the hook for others to be removed
3:16
or for a clamour for others to be removed from the line. Do you think this is a little bit unfair, though, to the other men
