Counsellors of State will not be needed to deputise for The King when he goes into hospital for planned surgery next week.
His Majesty is to be treated for a benign enlarged prostate in the coming days.
However, it has been confirmed that he will be able to carry out all of his constitutional duties during his brief time in hospital and during his recovery and Counsellors of State won’t be required to stand in for him.
Counsellors of State can carry out some of the Monarch’s duties if they are unable to, either from a temporary health issue or if they are overseas. Two counsellors must always act together and there are currently seven who are eligible to take on the duty.
The role is outlined in the 1937 Regency Act which also stipulates who can act. The Monarch’s consort and the first four adults in the line of succession can take on the role which means that Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice are all able to stand in.
King Charles also asked Parliament to make a change to the current Act and add his sister, The Princess Royal, and his youngest brother, the Duke of Edinburgh, to the list which was duly agreed. It means that both Princess Anne and Prince Edward can step in as a Counsellor of State for King Charles if needed.
The question of whether His Majesty would require Counsellors of State during his brief hospital stay was made more acute by the announcement that the Princess of Wales has undergone major surgery and will be in hospital for ten to fourteen days before returning home to Windsor for at least two months of recuperation. The Prince of Wales is to scale back his duties to care for her and their three children.
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