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re: Princes William & Harrys' Forgotten Step-Sister
Queen May Strip Prince Andrew and Prince Harry of Elite Job Held by Only 4 Royals
Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry are 'Counsellors of State' and could take over if the Queen is unable to perform her duties due to being abroad or unwell
Daily Mirror 19 JAN 2022
Prince Harry is one of the Counsellors of State
The Queen may ask parliament to change the law to prevent Prince Andrew and Prince Harry from keeping elite roles within the monarchy.
Concerns are understood to have been raised about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family if the 96-year-old monarch were to fall ill in the future.
Five members of the royal family, titled ‘Counsellors of State’, have historically been positioned to take over from Her Majesty if she is unable to perform her duties due to being abroad or unwell, for example.
The positions are currently held by Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, chosen because they are the four next in line to the throne and are at least over the age of 18.
The late Prince Philip, who passed away aged 99 last April, also held the role as a spouse of the monarch, which enabled him, along with the other counsellors, to perform crucial functions of state to business, such as providing Royal assent to bills passing through Parliament and appointing High Court judges.
Under the terms of the law this rules out William’s children George, Charlotte and Louis.
Prince Harry’s decision to quit royal life to set up home in California means he can no longer act on behalf of the Queen as he is not domiciled in the UK.
Similarly, the Queen’s action in last week forcing her son Andrew, 61, out of The Firm, over his ongoing civil sex case trial, has resulted in him being demoted to being a “private citizen”.
Both Harry and Andrew are also no longer working members of the royal family, essentially doubling the responsibility onto Charles and William.
Constitutional experts state that although the law isn’t clear, the practice has always been to have two counsellors acting at the same time - which further complicates the issue.
The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are understood to be planning major royal tours this year in a bid to get back to full royal duties after the pandemic.
They are also likely to be travelling for events to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
A source said: “Any considerations of this nature would be taken by the Queen and her advisors before being put to the government to act on.”
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Prince Charles and Prince William are understood to be planning major royal tours this year
Royal insiders have suggested an Act of Parliament could be requested to remove Andrew and Harry, with further reports suggesting the Duchess of Cornwall could be in the frame for a promotion as a precursor to Charles, 73, taking the throne.
Alternatively Princess Anne and Prince Edward could also be considered for the roles.
Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, said the current situation posed a potential problem for the smooth running of Government.
He told The Mirror: “I think this should be looked at if it isn’t being done already by the Palace, because they certainly would want to avoid a situation where the monarchy becomes a problem for the government.
Princess Anne could be considered for the role
“The monarchy should be thinking six-12 months ahead, arguably even two to five years ahead, where possible.
“You just need the right, or wrong set of circumstances, to occur at once for there to be an issue.
“As we saw during Covid, with Prince Charles and Prince William were reportedly infected at around the same time which could have left them incapacitated.
“With the Queen having taken a period to recuperate from illness herself in recent months the burden is actually quite considerable.”
Meanwhile it has emerged that the Queen will still award Jubilee medals to Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, despite them being independently stripped of their military titles.
Having lost their honorary titles, the pair will no longer be eligible for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal, which will be awarded on 6 Feb .
To mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, the commemorative medal will be awarded to serving members of the Armed Forces, police, fire, emergency and prison services.
However, following tradition the Queen buys the family ones herself to give to her family.
Royal sources said after his fall from grace the Queen’s gift to the Duke of York will be “purely commemorative”.
Around 400,000 will also go to 999 crews, prison staff and some Armed Forces members ‑ all for public service.
Royal Household staff with a year under their belt and living recipients of the George and Victoria Crosses will get one too.
It has been suggested medals from past Jubilees worn by senior members of The Firm at Prince Philip’s funeral last year were for their service to the nation.
But others, such as Peter Phillips, Zara and Mike Tindall, Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands ‑ who carry out no official duties ‑ have also been given medals and should receive one this time.
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