Queen under pressure to strip Prince Harry of official role but told to spare Andrew | royal | News

The Queen tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday and suffered from “mild and cold symptoms”, but it means the 95-year-old monarch’s duties were affected as she was forced to step back to recuperate. In light of this, a new parliamentary document has added to public pressure for the Queen to strip Prince Harry of his role as a State Councillor.

This role is assigned to five members of the royal family, the monarch’s wife or husband and the next four members who are next in line to the throne and over the age of 18.

Councilors of State are supposed to intervene when the monarch is unable to carry out his duties, for example if he is abroad or ill.

Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry currently hold the post, as the death of the Duke of Edinburgh means the Queen is left with just four Councilors of State.

The role was named to deal with four potential issues that could arise: a monarch taking the throne before the age of 18, the monarch being permanently incapacitated, the monarch being temporarily incapacitated, and the absence of the monarch from the United Kingdom.

According to the parliamentary document, Prince Harry should no longer be eligible for the role as the UK is no longer his permanent home and he has retired from royal life.

Guidelines in the Regency Act 1937 state that all persons holding this office must be members of the Royal Family and, importantly, “must be domiciled in ‘part’ of the United Kingdom”.

The Regency Act 1943 added that “if it appears to the Sovereign that an eligible councilor will be absent from the United Kingdom or intend to be absent during all or part of the period of such delegation, then the letters patent [a legal tool at the Monarch’s disposal] may provide for the exemption of that person.

The parliamentary document asks Buckingham Palace to take legal action to resolve the issue, but states that Prince Andrew is still eligible for the job.

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The source told Mail Online: ‘There was a lot of noise about Harry and Andrew and their roles as state councilors and it was felt that MPs had all the facts.

“It has nothing to do with Her Majesty being ill.”

Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, told the Mirror: “I think this should be looked at if it is not already done by the Palace because they would certainly want to avoid a situation where the monarchy becomes a problem. for the government. »

Buckingham Palace said there had been “no changes” to current advisers.

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