Harry and Andrew 'will never stand in for the King and will be replaced with Anne and Edward' under Palace plans
26 October 2022, 07:40 | Updated: 4 November 2022, 10:06
Plans are being finalised to prevent Prince Harry or Prince Andrew from standing in for King Charles.
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Andrew, the late Queen's third child and second son, stepped back from public duties after he was accused of sexual assault after Virginia Giuffre alleged she was trafficked to the Prince by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein aged 17.
Prince Harry, youngest son of King Charles, stepped down as a senior member of the royal family and moved to California with his wife Meghan.
Despite the changes, both currently remain "counsellors of state" - meaning they can carry out important constitutional duties if the monarch is unable to, for example if he is unwell.
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But Viscount Stansgate yesterday questioned this in the House of Lords, saying a "sensible amendment" needed to be made to account for the fact that one has "left public life" and the other has "left the country".
The response suggested constitutional reform could be on the horizon, hinting plans were being finalised to avoid the Dukes of Sussex and York from ever standing in for the King.
Lord Privy Seal, Lord True, said: "The government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements.
"And in the past we have seen that the point of accession has proved a useful opportunity to consider the arrangements in place."
Whilst Lord True said he would not comment on "specific circumstances", the Daily Mail reports the King would be able to draw on a wider pool of individuals to stand in for him, including his two other siblings Anne and Edward.
The paper adds that the King and Queen Consort are likely to be travelling abroad soon, adding an element of urgency to finalising the plans.
Under the Regency Act as it currently is, the counsellors of state are the monarch's spouse and the next four people in line to the throne who are over 21.
At the moment they are Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and his daughter Princess Beatrice.
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Charles became King on September 8 at the passing of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
He has carried out a number of public appearances since - including, most recently, on a special edition of The Repair Shop.
He met students from the Prince's Foundation Building Craft Programme - a training initiative that teachers traditional skills such as blacksmithing, stonemasonry and wood carving.
During the meeting he lamented the "lack of vocational education in schools".
"I still think the great tragedy is the lack of vocational education in schools, actually not everybody is designed for the academic," he said.
"I know from The Prince's Trust, I have seen the difference we can make to people who have technical skills which we need all the time, I have the greatest admiration for people.
"I think that's been the biggest problem, sometimes that is forgotten. Apprenticeships are vital but they just abandoned apprenticeships for some reason.
"It gives people intense satisfaction and reward."
The King has previously faced a backlash over his views on education after a private memo was leaked in 2004.
In the note - revealed by his former personal assistant - he condemned people who "think they are qualified to do things far beyond their technical capabilities".
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He went on to make a public statement on the row over his comments, admitting that he had "old fashioned" views on politics and education but his opinions on social mobility had been misrepresented.
"In my view it is just as great an achievement to be a plumber or a bricklayer as it is to be a lawyer or a doctor," he said.
"Not everyone has the same talents or abilities."
