The three options for Charles III if cancer prevented him from carrying out his royal duties

The king’s cancer diagnosis Charles III raised doubts and uncertainties about what would happen if the illness prevented him from carrying out his duties. The British monarchy includes several mechanisms and protocols designed to guarantee the fulfillment of royal functions.

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For now, Buckingham Palace said the 75-year-old monarch will withdraw from public events for the duration of his cancer treatment, but will continue his duties as head of state, such as signing laws, appointing ministers or weekly audiences with the head of state. of the government, Rishi Sunak.

The monarch’s official commitments will be distributed among the other active members of the royal family, known in English as ‘working royals’, which are mainly: William and Catherine, princes of Wales; Camilla, wife of the sovereign; and his brothers Ana and Eduardo.

William and Catherine, princes of Wales, are among those called to assume the king’s official commitments. (Photo: AFP) (HENRY NICHOLLS/)

Charles III’s illness became known just nine months after he succeeded his mother, Elizabeth II, who remained on the throne for 70 years. Although the king’s diagnosis is a setback for the crown, there are three options for his work to be covered if his health condition worsens.

If the king is unable to perform his official duties for a long period of time, two or more members of the royal family may be appointed state counselors to act in his place, as occurs when the monarch travels abroad.

State Councilors are appointed provisionally when regency is not yet necessary. According to the Regency Act 1937, these are Camilla and the first four in the line of succession over the age of 21, namely Princes William, Henry, Andrew and Beatrice. Furthermore, in 2022 the monarch’s brothers Ana and Eduardo were named.

Charles III gave his first king’s speech during the opening of parliament in 2023. (Photo: PA Media)

Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice are also state councilors but no longer carry out royal duties.

“These people must take care of the king’s duties in his absence or when the king is unable to fulfill his duties. The truth is that there are functions that Carlos III cannot perform, but others that he can,” the doctor and historian specializing in monarchies, Amadeo-Martín Rey y Cabieses, told El Comercio.

The expert emphasizes that the sovereign himself has already stated that he may continue to meet with the prime minister and sign some documents, among other things. “This is normal because the king is sick, but he is not dying. He is being treated and can perform his duties at half pace. Now, it is clear that it is not appropriate for him to participate in trips and public appearances while he is undergoing treatment and for this he relies on other members of the royal family”, adds Rey y Cabieses.

Rulership is the second option and occurs when a person is completely incapable of ruling due to illness of the mind or body.

Amadeo-Martín Rey y Cabieses explains that this scenario occurs, for example, when the king dies and his eldest son is not old enough to govern, so he cannot exercise power alone, so he must have a regency council.

“This can also occur when the king declares himself incapable, for example, in the case of schizophrenia”, he adds.

The Regency Act requires Prince William to be regent, as he is the next adult in the line of succession. If this were to happen, it would be the first time in over 200 years that the British monarchy would require a regency, with the last prince regent being the future George IV.

Prince William is next in the line of succession. (DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP).

Under this law, the regent has the same powers as the monarch with regard to the United Kingdom, but cannot change the order of succession to the crown. Nor does it grant regents powers in relation to kingdoms. Basically, the regency period would allow the king to transfer his powers as monarch to the Prince of Wales without having to abdicate, as Charles III would remain king and head of state.

Regency must be declared in writing by three or more of the following: the sovereign’s wife, the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Chief Justice of England and the senior judge of the court of appeal.

The king’s health problems could raise the possibility of abdication. However, experts do not believe that option is close, as Charles III made a “promise of lifelong service” in his first address to the nation when he became monarch.

According to Buckingham Palace, Charles III “is very optimistic about his treatment and hopes to resume his public duties as soon as possible”.

King Charles III preferred to make his illness public so as not to generate speculation about his absence (Photo: AFP) (STEFAN ROUSSEAU/)

“I highly doubt he will abdicate. It’s hard to know, but I believe he will remain on the throne until his death, just like his mother. He is a 75-year-old man and cancer is a disease that, if detected early, can be treated. In this case, the Prime Minister said that the cancer with which King Carlos III was diagnosed was discovered in time, which is very positive”, says Amadeo-Martín Rey y Cabieses.

Therefore, he adds that what you should do is take care of yourself and let the representation functions be carried out by other family members who can do so.

“The announcement came as a shock to the entire country, but I don’t see it as serious at the moment. It is not something that should cause excessive alarm and, in addition, there are protocols and mechanisms already in place to deal with this situation”, concludes the expert.

Source: Elcomercio