King Charles names Anne and Edward as stand-ins
King Charles has proposed Princess Anne and Prince Edward as additional stand-ins for the King.
At present, the “counsellors of state” are Camilla and four other senior royals.
But two of them – Andrew and Harry – are no longer working royals.
The King requested the change was read to the House of Lords on Monday, and a reply is expected on Tuesday.
It is expected to move quickly in Parliament to avoid a situation where there was no one to stand in for the King if he was overseas or unwell.
The role allows the stand-in to carry out the King’s duties as head of state.
Prince Andrew withdrew from royal duties in wake of his association with US sex offender Jeffery Epstein, and Prince Harry relocated to the US and stepped back from being a working royal.
But rather than remove them from the list of counsellors of state, the proposal is to widen the pool of eligible royals.
In the House of Lords, a statement from the King was read, saying adding Edward and Anne would “ensure continued efficiency of public business when I’m unavailable, such as while I’m undertaking official duties overseas”.
The message was also delivered to the House of Commons and leader of the House Penny Mordaunt told MPs there would be legislation to follow.
It would mean amending the Regency Act, which at present states that counsellors are the spouse of the monarch plus the next four royals in succession to the throne, who are over the age of 21.
Counsellors can carry out official duties – including the state opening of Parliament, signing documents, receiving ambassadors or attending Privy Council meetings, if the monarch is temporarily ill or abroad.
