King Charles' Alleged Plans to Replace Princes Harry and Andrew With Princess Anne and Edward Revealed
Here is why there is such a rush for reform.
Over the past few years, the Royal Family has undergone some major – and pretty shocking – changes. First, there was Prince Andrew's involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the related sexual abuse charges against him, which forced him to step down as a working member of the family. Then, there was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell "Megxit" from the family and related aftermath, including insinuations made by the couple that family members were racists and treated Harry's wife poorly. And then, of course, the most monumental change occurred when the beloved Queen Elizabeth passed away in September, turning the throne over to her eldest son, King Charles.
Now that King Charles is reigning over the United Kingdom, he is trying to figure out the roles of other members, as well as fill the gaps left behind by Harry and Andrew. According to one royal expert, he plans on giving his other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, greater responsibility.
According to Robert Hardman, one of the first orders of business of the King is finalizing plans to make sure the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York would have no responsibility or be involved in state affairs in his absence. Instead, he will be able to call upon other members of the family, including his siblings.
"Under proposals expected to come before Parliament, possibly within weeks, the King will be able to draw on a wider pool of royal substitutes — not least the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex — to conduct routine constitutional duties when he is out of the country," Harding writes for The Daily Mail.
According to The Mail, these "proposals" have been in the works for several months and were given the Queen's approval while she was alive. "Monday's parliamentary reply from the Leader of the Lords, Lord True, suggests that reform may be imminent," says Harding.
Currently, if King Charles is absent for any reason, two Counsellors of State can conduct state business, including appointment approvals and legislation.
The Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953 states that Counsellors of State can be appointed from the four most senior adults in the line of succession, plus the consort of a monarch. Currently, that would include Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice. However, with the proposals on the table, the pool would be extended to include Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
According to Harding, acting on this reform as soon as possible is crucial, as King Charles and Queen Camilla will be heading overseas. He also notes that this will be the first time in seven years that a monarch leaves the country, as Queen Elizabeth didn't travel far in her final years. In 2015 she appointed the Duke of Sussex and Duke of York as Counsellors of State prior to her trip to the Commonwealth summit in Malta.
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"I think this was the first time the issue of Princes Harry and Andrew being Counsellors of State has been raised in Parliament," Dr Craig Prescott, of the UK Constitutional Law Association tweeted on Monday. "The Queen could see the need for some reforms, while not wishing to exclude the Dukes of Sussex or York," added a source to The Daily Mail. "The King is simply following through with that."
