Prince Edward’s departure for a four-day royal visit to St Helena has further reduced the number of senior royals who can deputize for King Charles.
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Currently, King Charles has only two senior royals who can step in for him in case he requires a counsellor of state during his upcoming prostate surgery.
Last Wednesday, it was revealed that both the Princess of Wales and the King were facing health issues.
The Princess underwent successful abdominal surgery, while the King is scheduled for a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate.
As a result, Kate and Charles are unable to carry out their royal duties, and it is expected that Kate will not return to work until after Easter.
Prince William has taken time off to be by Kate’s side and focus on taking care of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
This leaves only three senior working royals, also known as counsellors of state, who can deputize for the King.
They are Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.
However, this week, Prince Philip is also unavailable as he is on a four-day trip to St Helena.
Consequently, only Anne and Camilla are currently able to fulfill the role of deputizing for the King, and the Queen may hesitate to do so immediately after her husband’s planned hospital admission.
In total, there are seven royals who can act as counsellors of state, representing or undertaking the King’s duties in case of illness or absence abroad.
According to tradition, this includes the monarch’s spouse and the next four individuals in the line of succession who are over the age of 21.
Currently, these individuals are the Queen, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice.
However, in 2022, King Charles requested that Parliament add two more royals, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, to the list due to concerns regarding the suitability of Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, who are no longer senior working royals.
Parliament also included a clause specifying that Harry, Andrew, and Beatrice would not be called upon to act as counsellors of state.
During the second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords on November 21, 2022, Lord Trew stated that the royal household had confirmed that working members of the royal family would be called upon to act as counsellors of state.
As Harry, Andrew, and Beatrice are no longer working members, this statement implies that they would never be asked to step in.