In many European countries, in the absence of the monarch, another member of The Royal Family becomes regent. In Denmark, for example, when Queen Margrethe is out of the country or is otherwise incapacitated, the Crown Prince often acts as temporary monarch. In recent months, Crown Prince Haakon has been regent on several occasions in Norway as his father, King Harald, recovers from a series of operations.
However, in the United Kingdom, the system is strikingly different. Should the monarch become ill with a short-term illness, two or more members of The Royal Family can stand in for her.
This is particularly relevant in the current climate as Her Majesty continues to quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is likely she will still be living in the so called Windsor Bubble when she marks her 95th birthday in April. And a new focus has been put on the role following confirmation that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to step back as senior members of The Royal Family has now been made permanent.
The royals who can act as a substitute to The Queen are known as Counsellors of State and they are high-ranking members of the Royal Family. In fact, they are the first four people aged 21 or over in the line of succession as well as the Monarch’s spouse. They are currently the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York.
The Counsellors can carry out most functions of the Crown, such as attending Privy Council meetings and signing documents on behalf of the Monarch.
They cannot, however, dissolve Parliament without The Queen’s permission, appoint a Prime Minister, deal with Commonwealth matters or create peerages.
Two or more Counsellors of State must be presiding at any one time, which may pose a problem should the sovereign require assistance in the immediate future. For several of those who are currently named as Counsellors are in difficult situations.
The Duke of Edinburgh will hopefully be home from his current hospital stay within days but he is also due to turn 100 in just a few months. The Prince of Wales is 72-years-old and has spent several periods in isolation during the pandemic, too.
However, the main concerns arise around The Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York. Neither are working royals although that does not mean they cannot act as Councillors of State, although it will no doubt prove controversial. However, Prince Harry’s decision to base himself in the United States could prove problematic. All Counsellors are required to live in the UK for as along as they are required to exercise the function. There is nothing to say that the Duke of Sussex wouldn’t return but it makes his immediate appointment in the case of emergency more difficult.
This leaves the Duke of Cambridge as the only Councillor who is a working royal. The next two eligible royals in the line of succession after Harry and Andrew and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
The only person to have been a Counsellor of State while not a queen consort, prince or princess was George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood since the 1937 passage of the Regency Act.
The Queen Mother served as Counsellor of State from 1953 until 2002. Upon Prince William turning twenty-one, The Princess Royal’s position ended. Likewise for the Earl of Wessex who was a Counsellor until Prince Harry turned twenty-one in 2005.
