His Royal Highness King Charles III is reportedly likely to remove both the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, and the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry from a pool of ‘royal substitutes’ that conduct official routine constitutional duties whilst he is out of the country.
The news comes as no surprise to many following Harry’s highly publicised decision to step back from royal duties in March 2020, and Andrew’s controversial relationship with disgraced banker and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which saw the former favourite son of the late Queen step back from public life and subsequent royal duties completely.
As the first constitutional reform of the reign of King Charles III, once finalised these plans would avoid any future prospect for both the errant dukes to be involved in affairs of state in the absence of the King.
Harry and Andrew are about to get the boot from King Charles, it seems!
(Image: Getty)Now to Love understands that these proposals were in the works months ago with the approval of the late Queen Elizabeth.
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And whilst the monarch has not been out of the country since the Queen’s visit to Malta in 2015 for the Commonwealth Summit, this is expected to change imminently, with a rumoured visit to Australia even on the cards for King Charles.
Once Charles inevitably tours abroad, two Counsellors of State will be appointed in the absence of the King. In 2015, the Prince and Princess of Wales were appointed as Counsellors of State in the Queen’s absence.
Under the terms of the Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953, the two Counsellors of State can be appointed from the four most senior adults in the line of succession, plus the consort of a monarch.
Today, that means the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.
In theory, state business could still be conducted by the Prince of Wales and Princess Beatrice, though she is a private citizen who might not be available at the click of a constitutional finger. She also does not carry the imprimatur of a working member of the royal family.
Under the proposals in hand, the King would be able to extend that list at his discretion, with the option to include his two other siblings, Anne and Edward, countering the expected removal of both Andrew and Harry.
More to come on this story.
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