Andrew set to be removed from line of succession as Government plans to axe disgraced royal

Downing Street sources have told this broadcaster that ministers are seeking to implement the laws once the police investigation into the former prince has concluded.

Andrew was arrested at his home on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Thursday morning.

Read more: Met contacting Andrew's current and past protection officers over ‘anything they saw or heard’

Read more: Palace 'won't let taxpayer foot bill' for any legal fees Andrew may face after arrest

A heavy police presence continues to be seen at his former home Royal Lodge and his current address on the Royal estate at Sandringham, with the force confirming that searches will continue until Monday.

LBC understands that any changes to the line of succession will require consultation and agreement with the other countries in the Commonwealth.

Plain-clothed police officers swooped on the Sandringham estate shortly before 9am on Thursday to arrest Andrew, with several vehicles seen entering the property.

He is accused of sharing sensitive information with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy and has become the first royal to be arrested and held in custody in more than 350 years.

The former York's arrest has led to calls for him to be removed from the line of succession for the throne.

As the second son of Queen Elizabeth II he was second in line to the throne but is now eighth.

On Thursday evening, Andrew was pictured leaning backwards in the back seat of a car leaving Aylesham police station in Norfolk.

LBC understands he has now returned to his Sandringham address following a full day of being questioned by officers.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: "On Thursday (19/2) we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

"The arrested man has now been released under investigation. We can also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded."

The Met Police is also asking former and serving protection officers who may have worked closely with Andrew to "consider carefully" whether anything they saw or heard could hold useful information.

"They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us," the force said on Friday afternoon.

The Met also announced they are looking into the suggestion that London airports may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

"We are assessing this information and are actively seeking further detail from law enforcement partners, including those in the United States," the force said added.

The force said no new reports of alleged sexual offences have been made since the release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein by the US Department of Justice.

Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.