Even staying silent, Prince Andrew continues to cause controversy. It’s now weeks since it was announced that his royal patronages had been returned to The Queen and he would no longer be using HRH in an official capacity. ‘There was no visible royal future for him, his time at the forefront of the House of Windsor was over. Or so it seemed.
A day of strange royal circumstances shone a very different light on the idea of Andrew completely in the wilderness which has become the accepted outlook for The Queen’s second son. On February 10th 2022, his older brother, Prince Charles, announced he had tested positive for coronavirus for a second time and was now in isolation. No royal duties for the heir to the throne for a week. Meanwhile, second in line, the Duke of Cambridge, was already in Dubai for a day of engagements. And that led to an intriguing possibility. For Charles, William and Andrew can all occupy a rather important role and one that could be needed at the drop of a hat, should The Queen need to temporarily step back from her constitutional duties.
All three are eligible to be Counsellors of State, a select band of individuals who can take over some of The Queen’s official role if circumstances, such as illness, prevent her from exercising them without her being declared incapacitated. The fourth is the Duke of Sussex. And that is where Andrew suddenly became rather important. On February 10th, the Duke of York was the only one of the four in a position to take on the role without any problem.
Prince Charles was in isolation while Prince William and Prince Harry were both out of the UK. That left Andrew in pole position to take up the responsibility. It’s not quite as straightforward as Andrew suddenly taking power. The Counsellors of State have limited powers and two must be appointed at any one time. Which leads to an even more intriguing question. For, right now, we know that the Duke of Sussex has made his home in Los Angeles meaning that he isn’t on call straight away to take on the role. At any given time, there are only three potential Counsellors on hand. And for a few hours, the only one available was Andrew.
Of course, much has changed since the role was introduced via the 1937 Regency Act. It was one of the earliest creations of the reign of King George VI who was known to be partial to a spot of modern technology. He may well have become an ardent fan of Teams and Zoom and there has never been any clarification as to whether a Counsellor of State can exercise that role in a virtual capacity. Charles’ isolation may not totally preclude him from taking it on, should it be required.
However, that aside, perhaps more clarification around this rather unusual but important role is now needed. Until April 2021, there was a fifth candidate. The 1937 Act allowed for the spouse of the Monarch to become a Counsellor of State. The Duke of Edinburgh could have taken on the responsibilities, alongside another of the potential counsellors. But there is nothing in the Act to allow for the spouses of those close to the throne to do the same. The rule is simple. The first four adults in the line of succession are eligible to act. And that means Andrew is going nowhere fast.
Prince George is several years away from reaching his majority with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis playing catch up after that. For the next decade or so, Prince Andrew remains eligible to act as Counsellor of State. It’s an intriguing position given that he was so publicly removed from every other association of his royal life.
And it begs the question as to whether it is time to change the rules. One intriguing possibility is opening the role up to the spouses of those closest to the throne. The Duchess of Cornwall now has the very public backing of Elizabeth II who said, in one of the most important messages of her reign, that she wishes Camilla to be queen consort in the fullness of time. Camilla has been declared a pillar of the House of Windsor and, along with the Duchess of Cambridge, is winning plaudits for supporting the modern Royal Family.
The Queen made it clear in her Platinum Jubilee address that no Monarch, however good they may be at the role assigned to them at birth, can perform their duties and responsibilities without a strong consort. It would seem a natural progression to allow the two consorts in waiting to take on such an important role as Counsellor of State.
In the meantime, the House of Windsor finds itself in a a strange circumstance. A prince who was cast into the wilderness is actually far closer to the beating heart of the dynasty than his public removal from his royal role would suggest. Time will tell whether that part of his princely duty remains with Andrew, Duke of York.
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