A decision has been made by King Charles III to not strip Prince Harry and Andrew of their prestigious roles, after they stepped down from their royal duties.
The King will instead spare the pair embarrassment by expanding his team of advisors, reports the Daily Record. The monarch will, for the first time, take on more than five Counsellors of State to assist him in many aspects of official business.
These advisors will help if the King travels outwith the UK, or became unwell. Until the Queen died, these positions were held by the then-Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Andrew.
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They were chosen as they were the next four next in line to the throne and are at least over the age of 18. The Queen’s beloved husband, Prince Philip, as spouse of the monarch, also held the position until his retirement in 2017.
Currently, when the monarch is absent, state business is conducted by two Counsellors of State. It was widely thought the King would strip his estranged son Harry and disgraced brother Andrew of the roles as they are no longer working members of the royal family.
However, royal sources have now confirmed that the King won't strip his brother and son from certain duties, after they left The Firm. Sources now suggest that there may now be three additions to the current list of five.
These include the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice. Under the terms of the Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953, these can be appointed from the four most senior adults in the line of succession, plus the consort of a monarch.
However, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Princess of Wales are now likely to be given new roles in the fold as well. A royal source explained: "No-one will be excluded. The pool of Counsellors of State will be expanded, this is for purely practical reasons.
“As the King and Queen Consort are likely to be away, as could the Prince and Princess of Wales, it is only right this is attended to.”
The insider added that a formal process would also be necessary, which would be completed before King Charles first trip overseas at the beginning of 2023. It is thought to be the second time more than five Counsellors of State have been on the list.
It was specifically stated in the Regency Act 1953 that the Queen Mother would be added for the rest of her life - but she lost the Counsellor of State role after the death of George VI, as she was no longer the wife of the monarch.
Another royal insider said that the monarch had made the decision with the knowledge of his late mother, the Queen, some months before her death - in order to “spare the blushes” of Harry and Andrew.
Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, said the changes would be the “simplest way of dealing with the problem”.
He added: "It makes perfect sense. It deals with the present problem in that there are not enough working royals to act as Counsellors of State. This is the simplest way of dealing with the problem. In that the legislation could specifically make Prince Edward and Princess Anne Counsellors of State, adding to those who are already there.
“Adding the Princess of Wales is unprecedented, but this also makes sense. As two counsellors of State need to act together, it follows that the Prince and Princess of Wales could act together.
“Overall, this is the simplest way of solving the problem, and the legislation should pass through Parliament without too much difficulty."
At the beginning of the week, during parliamentary reply from the Leader of the Lords - Lord True - the upcoming decisions were all but confirmed.
Lord True, the Lord Privy Seal and leader of the House of Lords, acknowledged that the King’s accession could prove “a useful opportunity” to amend the law. When asked if there were any plans to do so, he noted that "on occasion", the Act had been changed to support the sovereign better - “and ensure the resilience of our constitutional arrangements”.
Lord True added: "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.”
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