Prince Andrew should remain without his titles says expert

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In the fallout of Prince Andrew’s association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the Duke’s now-settled civil sex case in the US, questions have been asked about Andrew’s future role within the Royal Family. In this vein, many have queried whether Andrew should be allowed to keep his post as a Counsellor of State now he is no longer a working royal. And while it would take an Act of Parliament to remove him from this position, and there is no indication the Queen is likely to do this, there are ways to replace Andrew – and four key people that one royal expert would be ideal for the job.

This week it was announced Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre had reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement, which includes a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s victims’ support charity.

The settlement is not an admission of guilt on Andrew’s behalf, and he has consistently denied all of the allegations.

But Andrew will likely be hoping the settlement draws a line in the sand, putting an end to the scandals that have enveloped him in recent years.

Prince Andrew is unlikely to have a public royal role for the foreseeable future, with the Duke having stepped back from his royal duties in 2019 following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview about his association with Epstein.

But as the Queen’s second son, the Duke of York is still a Counsellor of State.

The Counsellors of State include the monarch’s spouse and the next four people in the line of succession over the age of 21.

If the Queen cannot undertake her official duties, such as due to illness, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry would be required to step in.

But with Andrew’s reputation severely tarnished, if the decision was made to remove Andrew as a Counsellor of State, a lengthy process would likely ensue.

How could Prince Andrew be removed as a Counsellor of state?

With the Queen’s experiences with poor health last year well-documented, many expressed concerns over the current Counsellors of State when it emerged Prince Charles had tested positive for Covid just days after meeting the Queen at Windsor.

At this time, Charles was out of action while self-isolating, and Prince William was abroad for an official visit to the UAE.

Should the Queen have caught Covid and she was no longer able to fulfil her royal role, the baton may have fallen to Prince Harry and Prince Andrew in her absence.

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This has sparked a debate over whether Harry can be a Counsellor of State now he lives in the US, and whether Andrew can be a Counsellor of State as a non-working royal.

In short, Parliament would need to get involved to altar the current Counsellors of State.

Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, told Express.co.uk: “Under the Regency Act 1937, Prince Andrew is a Counsellor of State.

“The others are Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. The practice is that two act together.

“So clearly, there is a problem if Charles or William cannot act. Only another Act of Parliament can remove Prince Andrew (or Prince Harry for that matter). There is no precedent for this.

“However, the Regency Act 1953, specifically made the Queen Mother an extra Counsellor of State, and so that is another way around the problem.”

Who could replace Andrew as Counsellor of state?

Some of the Queen’s most trusted working royals include her son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, along with Princess Anne and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.

According to Dr Prescott, four royals could stand to be appointed if Andrew was dropped from the key royal role or if extra royals were appointed.

He added: “An Act of Parliament could make other members of the Royal Family as extra Counsellors of State, such as the Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne, or Prince Edward.”

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