King Charles' Counsellors of State 'under review' says host

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King Charles III is reportedly looking to expand the number of Counsellors of State rather than replace Prince Andrew and Prince Harry. But who do you think is most deserving of being promoted to the role? Vote in our poll.

The 1937 Regency Act, means that the Counsellor of State roles are reserved for the spouse of the sovereign and the next four members of the Royal Family in line to the throne aged over 21, regardless of their status. This means that the King’s Counsellors of State of his Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, Harry, Andrew and Princess Beatrice.

There have been increasing calls for His Majesty to change who can deputise for him as Harry now lives in California, Andrew stepped back from public life and Beatrice is a non-working royal. 7News’ Hugh Whitfeld explained: “We’re not looking at a situation where Harry and Andrew are going to suffer the indignity of losing this title or another title for Prince Andrew. What is most likely to happen is the pool of Counsellors of State is going to be expanded.

“Prince Edward and Princess Anne are most likely to be called up to the bench from the reserves, they’re further down the line. They’re going to be able to carry out these duties as Counsellors of State as well. This is all going to happen pretty quickly. The legislation is likely going to go before Parliament before the end of the year.”

Counsellors of State are called upon to carry out the duties of the Sovereign due to ill health or absence abroad. Counsellors have the power to attend Privy Council meetings, sign routine documents and make appearances. However, the “core constitutional functions” are reserved solely for the Monarch which includes Commonwealth matters, the dissolving of Parliament or the appointment of a new Prime Minister.

The act also states that Counsellors must work in pairs, and constitutional commentator Dr Craig Prescott, suggested that it might be “quite nice” for Kate, Princess of Wales to be given the position and work alongside William.

He said: “The most straightforward solution is simply to add to the pool of Counsellors of State other members of the Royal Family, who may well be further down the line of succession but still conduct public duties. Obvious candidates include Princess Anne and Prince Edward, you may even think about the Duke of Gloucester perhaps.”

He added: “And so, you may even think about adding others, such as perhaps the Princess of Wales. One feature of the Regency Act is that, in practice, two are required to act and so for some matters, it might be quite nice if the Prince and Princess of Wales acted together, for example accepting letters of credence from ambassadors. So there can be more flexibility.”

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Former editor of the Daily Star, Dawn Neesom, suggested that Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex were “worthy” of the job.

She told GB News: “There’s two people there that really really are worthy of the job, that’s Princess Anne and Sophie. They’re not even allowed. It’s ridiculous.

“Princess Anne’s the hardest working royal, Sophie was just amazing support for the Queen and one of the favourites for her to spend her last few days with. Those two women should really be the counsellors.”

The reform was raised by Labour Peer Viscount Stansgate on Monday, October 24. Lord True, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords responded: “The Government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements. In the past, we have seen that the point of accession has proved a useful opportunity to consider the arrangements in place.”

But what do YOU think? Who do you most want to be promoted to Counsellor of State? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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