Andrew and Harry will no longer be able to replace King Charles in his absence, according to an unheralded 2022 law.

Princes Andrew and Harry, both retired from the British royal family, lost their roles as potential replacements for King Charles III or “councilors of state” in the event of absence or illness under a law passed in late 2022 that then went unnoticed, mentioned in this Friday The Times.

The British daily reported this clarification of protocol at a time when the King and Princess Kate are in forced self-isolation due to health concerns, as is Crown Prince William at his wife’s bedside following her surgery.

The Councilor of State is a member of the royal family to whom the monarch can delegate some of his functions in case of illness or travel abroad.

Monarch’s consort

Typically, in addition to the monarch’s wife, Queen Camilla, these are the first four adults over 21 in the line of succession to the throne, namely Princes William, Harry, Andrew and Princess Beatrice, the latter’s eldest daughter. But the issue was put on the table when Charles III ascended the throne in 2022, as three of those members were no longer active in the monarchy.

Prince Harry, the youngest son of King Charles III, and his wife Meghan actually decided to quit the royal family in 2020 and settle in the United States.

As for Prince Andrew, he is quitting the monarchy over his ties to the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse settled in a financial settlement.

Anna and Edward are appointed “state councilors”

To clarify the situation, the royal family specified as part of a law passed by the British Parliament in November 2022 that “only its active members” can “in practice” act as government advisers, even if non-active members retain that title.

The law, passed at the end of 2022, indicates that Charles III decided to grant the function of “state councilor” to his sister Princess Anne and brother Edward. Buckingham Palace, however, has made it clear that the king will not have to turn to his state advisers to replace him at the end of January, when he undergoes surgery for benign prostate hypertrophy.