The public has made it clear that they no longer want Prince Harry and Prince Andrew as Counsellors of State, as the Queen is cancelling more and more engagements and the other Senior Royals are travelling abroad.
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Prince Harry and Prince Andrew are still Counsellors of State
A Counsellor of State is the person who would step in if ever the Queen was unable to fulfil her duties for a short period of time (illness or absence). As of now, the four Counsellors of State are Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew.
Despite no longer being active members of the Royal Family, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew are still Counsellors of State. This would mean that if the Queen were unable to attend an event and Prince Charles and Prince William are out of the country, Prince Harry or Prince Andrew could stand in her place.
According to the law, the Counsellors of State are the monarch’s spouse and the next four people in the line of succession who are over 21.
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The public wants a change
As Prince Harry stepped down as Senior Royal in 2020, many believe he should no longer be a Counsellor of State. And, ever since the Prince Andrew scandal, the Prince has no longer been appearing in public and has had all of his titles and patronages stripped.
Furthermore, Prince Harry could end up losing his Counsellor of State title in years to come since the law states that if you leave the UK and are a non-UK resident for six tax years, you lose your domiciled status.
Many members of the public believe that the two Princes should be replaced by Princess Anne, who wasn’t allowed to be a Counsellor of State as she is a woman. That law changed in 2013 but only applies to female royals born after 2011.
The call for change has been going on for a while but has picked up recently as Prince Charles and Camilla are touring Ireland, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are touring the Caribbean.Thismeans that if the Queen cannot attend a function, her usual backups are unavailable, meaning that Prince Harry or Prince Andrew would have to step in.
On Twitter, former BBC correspondent Peter Hunt wrote:
Both Charles and William are abroad. If the Queen becomes ill, either Charles flies home or Andrew steps in – an unthinkable move for many.
Both Charles and William are abroad. If the Queen becomes ill, either Charles flies home or Andrew steps in – an unthinkable move for many. This is the reality of having no foolproof plan to cover all scenarios for when a 95-year-old head of state can’t carry out her duties.
— Peter Hunt (@_PeterHunt) March 23, 2022
Only the Parliament can change the Counsellors of State
If there were to be a change to the Counsellors of State, it would have to go through an act of Parliament.
As of now, if the Counsellors of State were to be changed, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew would likely be replaced by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as they are the next two in line to the throne who are above the age of 21.
