Counsellor of State

Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the monarch can delegate royal functions through letters patent under the Great Seal, to prevent delay or difficulty in the dispatch of public business in the case of their illness (except total incapacity) or of their intended or actual absence from the United Kingdom.Regency Act 1937, s 6(1).
Counsellors of state may carry out "such of the royal functions as may be specified in the Letters Patent". In practice, this means most of the monarch's official duties, such as attending Privy Council meetings, signing routine documents and receiving the credentials of new ambassadors to the Court of St James's. However, by law, counsellors of state cannot grant ranks, titles or peerages. They also, by the terms of the letters patent, cannot deal with a number of core constitutional functions, such as Commonwealth matters, the dissolution of Parliament (except on the monarch's express instruction) and the appointment of prime ministers. A rare example occurred on 7 February 1974 of the Proclamation of the Dissolution of Parliament being promulgated by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret as counsellors of state, on the express instructions of Queen Elizabeth II.London Gazette no. 46205, 8 February 1974, pp. 1851–1852
Royal functions are to be exercised jointly by the counsellors of state or by such number of them as is specified in the letters patent under the Great Seal and subject to any other conditions within.Regency Act 1937, s 6. However, there is a legal presumption that counsellors of state should act jointly and, as such, at least two are needed to act, with the absence of one possibly risking a legal challenge.
Counsellors of state are always the monarch's spouse and the next four people in the line of succession who meet the following specifications: they must be British subjects of full age (21 years, or 18 years for the heir apparent or presumptive) who are domiciled in the United Kingdom and not disqualified from becoming monarch.Regency Act 1937, s 6(2) and 3(2). During a regency, the next four eligible people in the line of succession after the regent (and the regent's spouse) may be counsellors.Section 6(4). A monarch may also request that Parliament add specific people to their counsellors of state. This was done by Queen Elizabeth II leading to section 3 of the Regency Act 1953 and by King Charles III leading to the Counsellors of State Act 2022.
==History==
The first counsellors of state were appointed by George V under the royal prerogative in 1911 when he traveled to India for the Delhi Durbar, and they continued to be appointed under the prerogative for the rest of his reign. At first, senior politicians such as the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor could serve as counsellors of state, but later counsellors of state were drawn exclusively from the ranks of the Royal Family. The Regency Act 1937 (1 Edw. 8 & 1 Geo. 6. c. 16) ultimately placed the appointment of counsellors of state on a statutory footing and codified the practice of only entrusting the role to senior members of the Royal Family.
Since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, the only persons to have been counsellors of state while not a queen consort, prince, or princess were George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood; Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (although Windsor had been a prince between 1914 and 1917 and never served in practice during his short tenure); and Maud Carnegie, Countess of Southesk (who was entitled to the style of princess but did not use it). Prior to that, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the prime minister, and the Archbishop of Canterbury had been appointed to the position by George V.
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lost her eligibility to be a counsellor of state in 1952 upon the death of her husband, King George VI. Section 3 of the Regency Act 1953, however, restored her position. The provision was specific to her, rather than applying to dowager consorts generally, and became spent upon her death in 2002.
In September 2022, The Daily Telegraph reported that King Charles III wanted the law to be amended to allow only working members of the royal family to serve as counsellors of state. This would take away the eligibility of family members that do not carry out official functions, while creating a possibility for spouses to senior ranking members and those with a lower position in the line of succession to be called upon and fulfil the role.
Questions were raised in the House of Lords in October 2022 by Lord Stansgate about the "suitability" of having the Duke of York and Duke of Sussex as counsellors of state when the former had "left public life" and the latter had "left the country". It was subsequently reported that, instead of removing them from the list of counsellors of state, it was being proposed that the pool of counsellors be expanded in order to create a more flexible list of available royals to stand in for the King if needed. On 14 November 2022, the King sent a message to both Houses of Parliament, formally asking for a change in the law that would allow Princess Anne and Prince Edward to be added to the list of counsellors of state. The next day, a bill to that end was introduced in Parliament and it received royal assent on 6 December, coming into force on 7 December as the Counsellors of State Act 2022.
==List of current counsellors of state==
As of 7 December 2022, those eligible to be appointed counsellors of state to King Charles III are:
Counsellor 	Since 	Relation to Monarch 	Succession order	Change
Queen Camilla 	8 September 2022 	Spouse 	N/A 	Accession to the throne of Charles III
William, Prince of Wales 	21 June 2003 	Son and heir apparent	First 	Reached the age of 21
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex 	15 September 2005	Son 	Fifth 	Reached the age of 21
Prince Andrew, Duke of York 	19 February 1981 	Brother 	Eighth 	Reached the age of 21
Princess Beatrice 	8 September 2022 	Niece 	Ninth 	Accession to the throne of Charles III
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh	7 December 2022 	Brother 	Fourteenth 	Counsellors of State Act 2022
Anne, Princess Royal 	7 December 2022 	Sister 	Seventeenth 	Counsellors of State Act 2022
Of these seven, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, and Princess Beatrice do not perform royal duties. If Prince Harry ceases to be domiciled in the United Kingdom, he shall become ineligible to be a counsellor of state.
Prince Andrew remains eligible to serve in this role, though he has withdrawn from most royal activities; this provoked by a backlash due to the allegations of sexual abuse made against him. In practice, only members of the royal family that perform public duties on behalf of the monarch would be appointed as counsellors of state, thus eliminating the possibility of Harry, Andrew or Beatrice serving in this role.
Should any of the above, other than the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh or the Princess Royal, become ineligible or unable to serve, the next person eligible would be Princess Eugenie. Prince George is to automatically become a counsellor of state on his 21st birthday on 22 July 2034 (or his 18th birthday should he be the heir apparent at that time), and would replace Princess Beatrice.
==List of former counsellors of state==
The following is a list of all the people who have been eligible to be a counsellor of state, listed in chronological order. A † indicates Counsellors who died whilst eligible:
===George VI (11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952)=== 	
===George VI (11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952)=== 	
===George VI (11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952)===	
===George VI (11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952)=== 	
===George VI (11 December 1936 – 6 February 1952)===
Counsellor 	Period 	Relation to Monarch 	Change 	
Queen Elizabeth 	19 March 1937 –6 February 1952 	Spouse 	Passage of the Regency Act 1937 	
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 	19 March 1937 –10 June 1974† 	Brother 	Passage of the Regency Act 1937 	
Prince George, Duke of Kent 	19 March 1937 –25 August 1942† 	Brother 	Passage of the Regency Act 1937 	
Mary, Princess Royal 	19 March 1937 –25 December 1957 	Sister 	Passage of the Regency Act 1937 	
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife 	19 March 1937 –21 April 1944 	Cousin 	Passage of the Regency Act 1937 	
Alastair Windsor, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn 	25 August 1942 –26 April 1943† 	First cousinonce removed 	Replaced Prince George, Duke of Kent upon his death 	
Maud Carnegie, Countess of Southesk 	26 April 1943 –7 February 1944 	Cousin 	Replaced Alastair Windsor, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn upon his death 	
George Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles(Earl of Harewood from 1947)	7 February 1944 –21 August 1951 	Nephew 	Replaced Maud Carnegie, Countess of Southesk upon reaching the age of 21 	
Princess Elizabeth(Duchess of Edinburgh from 1947) 	21 April 1944 –6 February 1952 	Daughter (Heir-presumptive)	Replaced Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife upon reaching the age of 18	
Princess Margaret 	21 August 1951 –10 March 1985 	Daughter 	Replaced George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood upon reaching the age of 21 	
===Elizabeth II (6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022)=== 	
===Elizabeth II (6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022)=== 	
===Elizabeth II (6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022)===	
===Elizabeth II (6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022)=== 	
===Elizabeth II (6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022)===
Counsellor 	Period 	Relation to Monarch 	Change 	
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 	6 February 1952 –9 April 2021† 	Spouse 	Accession to the throne of Elizabeth II 	
Princess Margaret(Countess of Snowdon from 1961) 	21 August 1951 –10 March 1985 	Sister 	Already eligible 	
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 	19 March 1937 –10 June 1974† 	Uncle 	Already eligible 	
Mary, Princess Royal 	19 March 1937 –25 December 1957 	Aunt 	Already eligible 	
George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood 	6 February 1952 –9 October 1956 	Cousin 	Accession to the throne of Elizabeth II 	
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 	19 November 1953Queen Elizabeth lost her position as counsellor of state when she was widowed. However, the Regency Act 1953 re-appointed her as a counsellor of state. –30 March 2002† 	Mother 	Passage of the Regency Act 1953 	
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent 	9 October 1956 –26 August 1965 	Cousin 	Replaced George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood upon reaching the age of 21 	
Princess Alexandra of Kent 	25 December 1957 –18 December 1962 	Cousin 	Replaced Mary, Princess Royal upon reaching the age of 21 	
Prince William of Gloucester 	18 December 1962 –15 August 1971 	Cousin 	Replaced Princess Alexandra of Kent upon reaching the age of 21 	
Prince Richard of Gloucester 	26 August 1965 –14 November 1966 	Cousin 	Replaced Prince Edward, Duke of Kent upon reaching the age of 21 	
Charles, Prince of Wales 	14 November 1966 –8 September 2022 	Sonand Heir-apparent 	Replaced Prince Richard of Gloucester upon reaching the age of 18 	
Princess Anne(Princess Royal from 1987) 	15 August 1971 –21 June 2003The Princess Royal lost her position as counsellor of state when Prince William reached the age of 21. However, the Counsellors of State Act 2022 re-appointed her as a counsellor of state to Charles III.	Daughter 	Replaced Prince William of Gloucester upon reaching the age of 21 	
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester 	10 June 1974 –19 February 1981 	Cousin 	Replaced Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester upon his death 	
Prince Andrew(Duke of York from 1986) 	19 February 1981 –8 September 2022Continued as a Counsellor of State to Charles III upon his accession 	Son 	Replaced Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester upon reaching the age of 21 	
Prince Edward(Earl of Wessex from 1999) 	10 March 1985 –15 September 2005Prince Edward lost his position as counsellor of state when Prince Harry reached the age of 21. However, the Counsellors of State Act 2022 re-appointed him as a counsellor of state to Charles III. 	Son 	Replaced Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon upon reaching the age of 21 	
Prince William(Duke of Cambridge from 2011) 	21 June 2003 –8 September 2022 	Grandson 	Replaced Anne, Princess Royal upon reaching the age of 21 	
Prince Harry(Duke of Sussex from 2018) 	15 September 2005 –8 September 2022 	Grandson 	Replaced Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex upon reaching the age of 21 	
==Timeline==
==References==
== Bibliography ==
*Velde, François R. (2004). Regency Acts 1937 to 1953. Retrieved 2005.
==External links==
* Counsellors of State – The Royal Family's website
* 
Category:Monarchy of the United Kingdom