A fundamental principle at the heart of the British Constitution is that the crown never dies. When one monarch dies, an heir immediately takes the throne. This smooth transition will ensure that the government (which has been taken over in the name of the Crown) will continue largely unaffected.
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Although the monarch is required not to get involved in party politics, there are many decisions made by the government and parliament that require the monarch’s formal approval. Appointment of a new prime minister, royal assent to new laws and ratification of international treaties are just a few. Some of these matters require a royal signature manual, the personal signature of the Sovereign.
As head of state of 15 countries, monarchs are also obliged to travel abroad. And since the monarch is human, he may get sick from time to time.So what if the monarch is required to fulfill a constitutional duty, but he cannot do it directly?
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Under the Regency Act of 1937, renewed in 1943 and 1953, the monarch may delegate its powers to state advisers, two of whom act together and exercise the monarch’s powers on their behalf. must exercise. The law stipulates that the State Counselor is the monarch’s spouse, of full age (21 years or older) residing in Great Britain, and first of the four in line to the line of succession. A legal heir, she will be a State Counselor from the age of 18.
This is regulated by law, so Congress can make changes. In 1953, after Elizabeth II became Queen, the Regency Act of 1953 appointed the Queen’s mother as Counselor of State for the rest of her life. On the death of her husband George VI in 1952, she ceased to be the King’s wife, and therefore she ceased to be a State Counselor.
The late Queen’s extensive overseas travels (which prompted some newspapers to describe her as a “Jet Age Queen” in the 1950s) meant that a State Counselor was often needed, and her reign appointed twice a year for most of the Her prominent position on the world stage would not have been possible without ensuring that her State Counselor would solve her domestic problems on her behalf.
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During the first decades of Elizabeth’s reign, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret often served as State Counselors. Concerns have put politics at a difficult time.
With the Queen staying in New Zealand for the Commonwealth Games, the duo declared a state of emergency on government advice. And that task was also carried out by the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret after Prime Minister Edward Heath sent a telegram to the Queen requesting that Parliament be dissolved.
Charles’ challenge
Now that Charles III is king, he is no longer a state adviser. Queen Camilla, Prince William of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Princess Beatrice.
Two of these names are particularly controversial. Prince Andrew has not performed public duties since his fateful TV interview in 2019, and in early 2022 Virginia he was stripped of his remaining military titles after reaching an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre. it was done. The decision that he will no longer perform royal duties and live in America. He retains his State Counsel position as he retains his British residence by maintaining a lease on his cottage Frogmore in Windsor.
Prince Beatrice has never performed official duties and the Queen usually travels with the King. As it stands, this means that when the King travels abroad, only Prince William can act as State Counselor if, by law, his two counselors are required to carry out the King’s duties. increase.
But the King cannot easily replace the Counselor. Their role is a matter of law, at least until Congress passes legislation to change it. No such bill has been proposed in the past few years, but royal commentator Robert Hardman suggested it would be considered in the summer.
Turmoil in British politics coupled with the Queen’s death has stalled possible conversations, but it is hoped that legislation will be enacted before the King travels abroad for an extended period. When it was introduced in the Senate in October, it strongly implied legislation was on the way.
The question is what form that bill will take. One possibility is to specifically remove Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice and replace them with the following three heirs. is also included. In time, this also includes the children of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, who are unlikely to perform public duties.
