Palace aides are drafting plans for the Duchess of Cornwall to take on a significantly greater role – and it is possible she could even be appointed to an elite group of senior Royals who can carry out duties on behalf of the Queen.
Her Majesty’s decision to cancel all public engagements for at least the next fortnight, as she recovers from an unknown ailment, has raised concerns about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family if her illness persists or should the 95-year-old Monarch be incapacitated in the future.
So far, the Queen has continued to carry out her duties as Head of State, despite having to ‘reluctantly’ cancel a number of high-profile engagements over the past few weeks.
Palace aides are creating plans for the Duchess to assume a significantly larger role. She could even be appointed as a member of an elite group of Royals who can perform duties on behalf the Queen (pictured, Camilla and the Queen in 2019).
The Monarch continues to receive her daily red box of Government documents. Last night, however, constitutional experts raised concerns about the Royal Family’s ability to perform the basic function of Head of State.
Buckingham Palace says her medical team is simply taking ‘sensible precautions’ and Boris Johnson yesterday described the Queen as being on ‘good form’ when they spoke last week.
However, sources claim that Camilla, who was praised in a speech last Wednesday in which she called on more urgent action be taken to combat sexual violence against females, will be asked to help manage this workload.
Under rules enshrined in law and detailed on the official Royal website, four members of the family are currently entitled as ‘Counsellors of State’ to take over from the Queen if she is unable to perform her duties – if, for example, she were abroad or unwell.
The 95-year-old Monarch’s decision to cancel all public engagements for at least the next fortnight as she recovers from an unknown ailment has raised concerns about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family (pictured, the Queen last week)
These Counsellors are Prince Charles (Prince William), Prince Andrew (Prince Harry), and Prince Andrew (Prince Harry). They were chosen because they are the next in line to the throne, and at least 18 years old. This rules out William’s children George, Charlotte and Louis.
But neither Prince Andrew – who is fighting sex claims lodged in the US – nor Prince Harry, who has quit official duties and now lives in California, are currently working members of the Royal Family.
Vernon Bogdanor, the author of Monarchy And The Constitution and professor of government at King’s College London, said: ‘A Counsellor not domiciled in the UK cannot act, so that excludes Harry. Princess Beatrice, who is 21 years old, would be the next in line. Most functions of the Head can be delegated. It is not, for example, constitutionally necessary for the Queen to attend the State Opening of Parliament.’
Officially, four members the Royal family are entitled to be ‘Counsellors to State’ to replace the Queen if she becomes unable to do her duties. These Counsellors are Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew, and Prince Harry (pictured).
Two Counsellors of State are required to act together in a ‘quorum’ to perform crucial functions, such as providing Royal assent to bills passing through Parliament and appointing High Court judges. These functions of government cannot be carried out without this assent.
Bangor University constitutional expert Dr Craig Prescott stated that the current situation could cause problems for the smooth operation of Government. ‘There is a small but genuine risk that the non-availability of Counsellors of State could impede the operation of the constitution. It could make the running of Government much more complicated.
‘The Counsellors of State are a Plan B from a constitutional point of view, but what happens when Plan B isn’t quite ideal? The Queen could consider adding the Duchess, who would be a Counsellor to State when Charles is King. Or they could go down the line to Princesses Beatrice or Eugenie, or add more members of the family, like Princess Anne or Prince Edward to the list.’
However, neither Prince Andrew (right), a man who is fighting sex claims in the US, nor Prince Harry, left, who has resigned from official duties and now resides in California, are currently working members the Royal Family.
A source close to the Palace said: ‘This is a constitutional headache. Talks are being held about what to do if the Queen becomes incapacitated. You can’t have Andrew and Harry do it and Charles and William are extremely busy.’
Counsellors can step in as a precedent. During the Queen and Prince Philip’s tour of New Zealand in 1974, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret enacted the Queen’s wishes to dissolve Ted Heath’s Government.
Mr Johnson yesterday sought to allay any alarm about the Queen, saying the public must ‘respect’ her need to rest for a short period of time.
Speaking to ITV News in Rome during the G20 summit, he said: ‘I spoke to Her Majesty, as I do every week as part of my job, and she was on very good form. Her doctors have advised her to rest. We need to respect that and be able to understand that. Everybody wishes her all the very best.’
In addition to speaking with Mr Johnson, the Queen also spoke to Chancellor Rishi Unak before his Budget announcement. She recorded a speech at Windsor Castle that will be shown tomorrow at the COP26 Climate Change Summit in Glasgow.
On the advice from doctors, the Queen was forced to cancel her Northern Ireland trip earlier this month.
The announcement that she will rest for ‘at least’ another fortnight means she will miss the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. She hopes to be able to attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at Cenotaph on Nov 14. Prince Charles will lay the wreath on his mother’s behalf, as he has done in the past. She can also watch from a nearby balcony.
Charles will then fly to Jordan and Egypt on an official tour. William will be the only Counsellor.
A Royal insider said: ‘The Counsellors of State are there to provide a more temporary stopgap. It would likely take an extraordinary series to lead to a Regency. Her Majesty will be committed to carrying out her duties as long as she possibly can.’
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.