King Charles has left a constitutional expert puzzled after it was reported that he is not likely to call on his Counsellors of State to stand in for him while he receives treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Buckingham Palace released a statement yesterday explaining that the King is due to undergo a procedure relating to the issue next week, but it is expected he will get back to work as soon as possible.
This came the same day as it was revealed Princess Kate too was in hospital following planned abdominal surgery, with current medical advice suggesting she will not be resuming her royal duties until after Easter. Prince William is taking time out to support Kate and look after their children.
Royal expert Craig Prescott explained on X that this kind of the situation is when the Counsellors of State (CoS) would normally be called on, to act on behalf of other senior members of the Royal Family should they be incapacitated.
However, the King seems reluctant to call on them to cover him during his treatment, leaving Mr Prescott to speculate on social media as to why this could be the case.
CoS can be appointed by Letters Patent to carry out the monarch’s official duties, including Privy Council meetings, signing documents and meeting ambassadors, should they be unable to do so owing to travel abroad, illness or any other reason.
The CoS traditionally consist of the Sovereign’s spouse and the next four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21, which in this case would normally be Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice.
However, the Counsellors of State Act 2022 added Princess Anne and Prince Edward to the pool of potential options, which was crucial given Harry and Andrew’s departure from British public life and Beatrice’s status as a non-working royal.
Mr Prescott speculated that with Camilla and William also likely to be unavailable for a while due to caring for their spouses, Anne and Edward could step up to the mark.
He added that while the King may want to “do as much as he can” it would still be possible for him to undertake some duties while assigning some to his family, as the arrangement is “quite flexible”.
He wrote: “It could be that the King continues to do the red boxes, but appointing CoS would provide for others to act (i.e. Anne & Edward) if required. For example, if a need for a Privy Council arises at short notice. That happens sometimes.
“Each year Elizabeth II would remain at Sandringham until after the 6th Feb (the anniversary of her Accession). So there would be unlikely to be anything constitutional lined up – for example, Ambassadors presenting their credentials – which is something that CoS can do.”
Mr Prescott added that changes could be afoot with the CoS process now that Charles is King, as none were called on during his and Camilla’s royal tour to Kenya, whereas in Queen Elizabeth’s day they were always appointed when she was out of the country.
The expert continued: “I’ve often thought that there would be no harm if Prince William held a Privy Council meeting every now and again, just to see him in a more constitutional context and as part of his preparations to be King.
“But that may not align with how the King sees his role. In any event, given the Princess’s illness, this won’t happen on this occasion.”
Sunday Times royal editor Roya Nikkhah posted on X: “It is understood that Counsellors of State will not be required to step in for the King next week while he is in hospital for the procedure and recuperating, meaning Charles expects to be able to continue with all his affairs of state as usual.”
