By promoting Princess Anne and Prince Edward, King Charles reportedly snubbed Prince Harry and Prince Andrew.
Russell Myers, royal editor of the Daily Mirror, appeared on “Today” to discuss King Charles’ birthday. Monday marked the 74th birthday of the British monarch.
On the same day, he appointed Princess Anne and Prince Edward as his official stand-ins as Counsellors of State. Following the monarch’s departure, the host noted that there was no brotherly love for the Duke of York, and Myers noted that the same could be said for his son, Prince Harry.
Myers said, agreeing with the host:
“Well I don’t think it’s there. You can put his son Prince Harry into this as well because it was in the House of Lords that both of them have been snubbed, and it’s called Counsellors of State, and these are the people who are in charge if he is otherwise deposed, I mean out of country or ill and they have to take over the state business.”
He continued:
“It does definitely seem that Andrew and Prince Harry have been given the elbow for their respective sort of insolences against the monarchy.”
Angela Levin, Prince Harry’s biographer, expressed similar sentiments. She believed that with the addition of Princess Anne and Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry would be less likely to be called upon to fill in for the king when he was away.
The author of “Harry: A Biography of a Prince” said to Mail Online:
“Of course, it is a slight to Harry and Andrew – but there’s a good reason, and it’s necessary. Harry and Meghan would be absolutely furious. But he lives in California, he’s stopped being a working royal, so why should he [be a Counsellor of State].”
Levin went on to say that the decision was not about Prince Harry, but about what the king required. She added:
“Reading between the lines it allows him the ensure that the right people are doing the right job.”
According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, the move is an “important and long overdue reform.” He also believed it was “symbolically significant too that it has been announced on King Charles’s birthday.”
According to The Telegraph, King Charles wanted to remove Prince Harry and Prince Andrew as Counsellors of State in September because he wanted his stand-ins to be working royals. Prior to the addition of Princess Anne and Prince Edward, the Counsellors of State were the next four people over the age of 21 in the line of succession. Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice are the current Counsellors of State.
According to reports, King Charles wanted to change the law “as soon as he could” because he “recognizes the incongruity of having a trio of non-working Royals able to step into his shoes if he is abroad or incapacitated.”