Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Richard Could Become Counselors of State

Counselors of State of the British monarchy

The newly ascended British king, Charles III, may seek parliamentary approval to amend the Council of State rules. He could not change it as it's under the jurisdiction of the Parliament but he could request to amend the law on who in the Royal Family can be an official stand-in in case he is out of the country or indispose to exercise his royal duties.

The king wants the members of the Council of State to be working royals to relieve the non-working royals of public duties, which means that Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice who are not working royals, could not be possibly "stand-ins" for the monarch. And could not possibly act as Regent, in case there's a need to do so.

Prince Harry and Prince William in 2018

If the law will be amended, the three senior members of the Royal Family can be replaced by next in line in the succession who are above 21 years old, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, and the Queen's cousin, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, could possibly take over.

Who are the Privy Counselors?

Under the 1937 Regency Act, which was passed by King George VI, only the spouse of the sovereign and the next four in line of succession to the throne, who are 21 years old and above, can become counselors of state.

However, direct successors can become counselors of state when they become 18 years old. King Charles III and William, The Prince of Wales, became the Queen's "stand-ins" when they turned 18, instead of the usual 21.

Prince Andrew and his older brother, now King Charles III

During Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the counselors of state were the following: Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh (1952-2021), Charles, the Prince of Wales (1967-2022), Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge (2000-2022), Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex (2005-2022), and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York (1981-2022).

Prince Harry recently renewed his lease of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, which means, he continued to be domiciled in the UK which qualifies him to be one of the Counselors of State, even if he is currently living abroad.

Upon the accession of King Charles III, based on the law, the following are his Counselors of State or "stand-ins" in discharging his duty to the nation:

Camilla, the Queen Consort
Prince William, the Prince of Wales
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York
Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi

However, except for the Queen Consort and Prince William, the last three persons are non-working royals. Under the Regency Act of 1937, they still can become Counselors of State, but King Charles III wants his stand-ins to be working royals.

From left: Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice are non-

But the king cannot just change the law, it requires parliamentary approval. Should the Regency Act of 1937 be amended, the following will be the new Counselors of State while the children of Prince William are minors:

Camilla, the Queen Consort
Prince William, the Prince of Wales
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex
Anne, the Princess Royal
Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester

The working royals: Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Richard

Previous criticism

The late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953, one year after she ascended the British throne, asked the parliament for the Regency Act of 1937 to be changed. She proposed a provision that if she will die before her heir (Prince Charles) turned 18, her husband, Prince Philip, would have become the Regent.

The change also sought approval from Commonwealth countries. However, the request was criticized by Labour MP John McGovern at the time. He said: “Members (of the parliament) are taken to be robots to carry out the will of the monarchy whenever it is desired to make a change".

Which put King Charles' wish to amend the law blurry, however, 2022 is no longer 1953, and things changed including the situation of the non-working royals of the House of Windsor. Considering the circumstances surrounding the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York's royal status, the parliament MIGHT consider the king's request.

Let's wait and see.