The situation within the Royal Family in the midst of the Queen’s Covid scare exposes a “glaring issue at the heart of the monarchy”, a Buckingham Palace insider has said.
Royal doctors are understood to be testing the monarch regularly after she met with Charles on Tuesday, after he carried out an investiture at her Windsor Castle home.
The 73-year-old heir was found to be positive during a test taken on Thursday morning as routine before any he was forced to pull out of a public engagement with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
While Charles was not suffering from “strong symptoms”, his wife Camilla said he was finding his isolation period “tiresome”.
The Queen was on Thursday said by aides to “not be displaying any symptoms”.
Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm or deny that Her Majesty has contracted the disease, fuelling fears for her health.
A palace source said: “Obviously the situation will continue to be monitored.”
The Queen is understood to be triple-vaccinated so will not need to self-isolate unless she tests positive.
The Head of State is thought to have received her first jab in January 2021 and her second jab that March, while sources say it is believed she got her booster in October.
However, royal sources have suggested this evening that there is “a degree of nervousness” concerning the unresolved issue involving the position of Counsellors of State, which has been exacerbated by the Covid exposure scare.
There are four positions held by senior royals to carry out the business of state of the Queen were to fall ill, or become incapacitated.
Five members of the Royal Family, titled ‘Counsellors of State ’, have historically been positioned to take over from Her Majesty if she is unable to perform her duties due to being abroad or unwell, for example.
With Prince Phillip's death, the number of people in this role has now fallen to four.
Currently two of those four positions are held by Prince Harry, who quit his royal role last year in favour of moving to California, and Prince Andrew, who is facing a civil sex trial in the United States.
With the Prince of Wales isolating due to Covid and Prince William having been in the United Arab Emirates this week, sources pointed to the “glaring issue at the heart of the monarchy”.
One source said: “It might be considered unlikely, but it’s certainly something that needs urgent attention.”
Royal insiders have suggested an Act of Parliament could be requested to remove Andrew and Harry, with further reports suggesting the Duchess of Cornwall could be in the frame for a promotion as a precursor to Charles, 73, taking the throne.
Alternatively Princess Anne and Prince Edward could also be considered for the roles.
Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, said the current situation posed a potential problem for the smooth running of Government.
He told The Mirror: “I think this should be looked at if it isn’t being done already by the Palace, because they certainly would want to avoid a situation where the monarchy becomes a problem for the Government."
This is the second time the Prince of Wales, who is also triple jabbed, has tested positive for coronavirus after contracting the disease in March 2020.
Charles can be released from his isolation if he tests negative on day 5 and day 6 and does not have a temperature.
