A member of the House of Lords has suggested that the Princess of Wales should be made a Counsellor of State, allowing her to deputise for the Monarch if needed.
Lord Balfe, a Conservative peer, made the suggestion during a debate on the proposed changes to the law governing who can act as Counsellor of State. The bill is currently making its way through the Lords following a request from King Charles III on November 14th 2022, his birthday, for alterations to the current arrangements.
King Charles has asked for his sister, the Princess Royal, and his youngest brother, the Earl of Wessex, to be allowed to act as Counsellors of State. Currently, the position is limited to the Monarch’s spouse, Queen Camilla, and the first four adults in the line of succession – the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.
Counsellors of State take on the duties of the Monarch when they are unable to fulfil them. This is usually while they are overseas but there is also provision for the role to be taken up if the Sovereign is temporarily unwell. Two Counsellors must be appointed – none can act on their own. King Charles wants his sister and brother to be able to assume the role, too.
However, Lord Balfe suggested it would be ”very sensible” if the Princess of Wales was also able to act in that capacity.
Speaking to the House of Lords, he said ”a strong candidate for the role of Counsellor of State must be the present Princess of Wales. She will be a Counsellor of State when her husband eventually succeeds to the throne. Presumably, if the throne is vacated before Prince George is 18, the Princess of Wales will be designated as the regent-in-waiting. Therefore, it would be very sensible, and give her some practice in the job, if the Princess of Wales was added to this list.”
However, he acknowledged that this wouldn’t happen soon, saying ”I certainly will not be pushing anything to a vote.”
The debate on the bill also heard that Buckingham Palace would like the role of Counsellor of State limited to those who have been working royals within the past two years. If that passes, it would mean that the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice couldn’t be called on to act as Counsellors of State.
In that situation, those available to take on the role would be Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex. The new bill also seeks to appoint Princess Anne and Prince Edward to the roles for life – currently, those who can act as Counsellors change as people further up the line reach the age of 21 (or 18 in the case of an heir to the throne).
The bill is due to be scrutinised at Committee Stage on November 23rd 2022 and could be made law imminently.
