The Bill to change who can act as Counsellors of State has been given Royal Assent.
It means that The Princess Royal and The Earl of Wessex can both now stand in for the Monarch, if required.
The Bill was given Royal Assent, meaning it is now law, on December 6th 2022, just as King Charles was welcoming members of the Diplomatic Corps to Buckingham Palace for the traditional reception.
Counsellors of State stand in for the Monarch if they are temporarily unavailable, either through being out of the country or for short term health reasons such as an operation.
The Regency Act of 1937 stated that the Monarch’s spouse and the first four adults in the line of succession could be called on to be Counsellors. That meant that, following the accession of King Charles III, the role could be fulfilled by Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice. However, there had been discussion about the viability of the situation given that Prince Harry lives overseas and has stepped back from royal duties while Prince Andrew has withdrawn from public life following a court case.
The law means that Princess Anne and Prince Edward can both now take on the role.
The Bill has passed quickly through Parliament. King Charles wrote to the House of Lords on his birthday, November 14th 2022, requesting the change be considered. It took just 22 days for the new Bill to become law.
