Counsellor of State
Counsellors of state are senior members of the British royal family to whom the monarch (Elizabeth II since 1952) can delegate and revoke 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 in their intended or actual absence from the United Kingdom. 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. 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. 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 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, but 18 for the heir apparent and presumptive) who are domiciled in the United Kingdom and not disqualified from becoming monarch. During a regency, the next four eligible people in the line of succession after the regent (and the monarch's spouse) may be counsellors. History. The first counsellors of state were created in 1911 by an Order in Council of George V, and this process was repeated on each occasion of the King's absence or incapacity. A rule for all future reigns, however, was established by  the Regency Act 1937. 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, but did not use the style of princess). 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 moot upon her death in 2002. Counsellors of state were last appointed in 2015 (as of January 2020). List of current counsellors of state. As of April 2021, those eligible to be appointed counsellors of state are: Of these  four, only Prince Charles and Prince William continue to perform royal duties. If Prince Harry comes to be no longer a British subject or no longer domiciled in the United Kingdom, he shall become ineligible to be a counsellor of state and, as things stand, Princess Beatrice would replace him, but in February 2022 he renewed his lease on Frogmore Cottage in the UK, meaning he continues to be domiciled there. Beatrice would also become eligible to be a counsellor of state if Prince Charles became regent or king. Prince Andrew remains eligible to serve after withdrawing from most royal  activities. List of former counsellors of state. The following is a list of all the people who have been, but no longer are, a counsellor of state since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, in chronological order: