Buckingham Palace is preparing to humiliate Prince Andrew, Prince Harry as the palace considers ways of removing another important role.
Sources in Palace say that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will lose their Status as Counsellors for State.
Counsellors of State are made up of the monarch’s spouse and the next four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21.
They can sign routine documents, attend Privy Council meetings, and receive the credentials as new ambassadors to Britain.
Andrew and his nephew both lost their royal patronages as well as military titles due to ongoing legal issues and the latter’s decision not to resign from ‘The Firm.
Buckingham Palace is planning to humiliate Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and another one of their most important positions.
According to Palace sources, the Duke of York & Duke of Sussex will lose their statuses as Counsellors to State. This is in addition to the many other titles that they have had to give up.
The monarch’s spouse, the four next-in-line of succession people over 21 years old and the Counsellors for State are the members of the Council of State.
They were confirmed by sources to be two more of the four Counsellors to State. If the Queen is unable or unwilling to perform her duties due to illness, absence, etc., such status could not last long.
‘It is a genuine problem that the Palace is looking to address,’ a royal source said.
‘Can you imagine the Duke of York having to sign official documents, for example, because the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge were both abroad, and the Queen became ill?
‘It’s not an exaggeration to say it could put the monarchy in jeopardy.’
Although a Buckingham Palace spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, sources indicated that Andrew and Harry cannot be removed from their positions without changing the law.
To remove Andrew or Harry and possibly replace them with Princess Anne or the Duchess, an Act of Parliament is required.
‘There could be events later this year which make such a change necessary,’ says the source, who declined to elaborate further.
Under the Regency Act 1937, the post of Counsellor to State was created.
Regency Acts existed before 1937. They were only approved in the case of emergency.
There were nine Regency Acts that covered different scenarios since 1728.
A new Regency Act, which established a standard for future reigns was adopted shortly after George VI took the throne on December 13, 1936.
The new Office of Counsellor to State was established at that time. It is meant to provide short-term cover for absences when a regency wouldn’t be necessary.