NNot Charles, but his mother, British Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September, probably initiated the first major constitutional reform, which could now be implemented quickly under her son. It would make it impossible for Prince Harry and Prince Andrew to represent their father or brother, King Charles III, on official occasions, as is currently the law. The two are still Counselors of State. As Councilors of State, they cannot simply dissolve parliament or appoint a new prime minister, but they can, for example, participate in the Privy Council, the king’s political advisory body, sign documents on behalf of the monarch or receive the credentials of new ambassadors on his behalf. This is especially true when the king is ill or is abroad.
With Charles and Camilla soon planning their first trip abroad, it will be the first official one by a monarch since Elizabeth II attended the Commonwealth Summit in Malta in 2015, so there is a need to hurry. The issue has even been raised in the upper house of parliament this week. For a reform, the Regency Act of 1937 would have to be amended. The law regulates who belongs to the group of state councillors. They are currently the king’s wife and the four next on the list of all possible heirs to the throne, if they are older than 21 years. These are currently Queen Camilla, heir to the throne William, his brother Harry and Prince Andrew and his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, who succeeded Charles, the heir to the throne at the time, after the death of Elisabeth.
However, the last three no longer belong to the circle of “working royals”. Most notably Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, who has turned his back on royalty and lives in California with his wife, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who has become unacceptable to the palace following allegations related to American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has become, should be replaced. And preferably by two of the hardest-working members of the royal family, Charles’ siblings Princess Anne (number 16 on the list of heirs to the throne) and Prince Edward (number 13).
The chances of a change in the law appear to be good. The Lord Privy Seal of the United Kingdom, Nicholas True, responded to Parliament’s inquiry that while he was not allowed to speak about the private talks between ministers in his government and the King. However, he called the completed change of throne a good opportunity to subject the law to an examination.
