Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth had tested positive for the coronavirus. A news that had caused much concern not only among the king’s closest circles, but also in England. At the age of ninety-five, the ruler is one of the groups most at risk for the disease, despite the fact that he has complete guidelines for serum against the virus. It should be added that, in recent months, the Queen’s health has not been very good and she has suffered from several illnesses.

Despite being positive, the king has only mild symptoms. This means that it continues to maintain its share of activities and fulfills several commitments. For example, he canceled several video calls he had put on hold, but he didn’t miss a phone conversation with the Prime Minister, as part of the weekly meetings he held with him, in the same way he has done since he took office as Prime Minister. throne seventy years ago.

Although currently the Queen is still in charge of ‘La Firma’, her health condition may not allow it. This meant that someone had to temporarily take on the role, something that has happened throughout history.

In this case, as explained from Buckingham PalaceIf the Queen has to suspend her official activities, either because of illness or because she is abroad, two or more of her advisers may act in her stead.

The councilors are four members of the royal family, appointed from among the next adults in the line of succession, provided they have reached the age of twenty-one. The only exception is found in the most direct heir, who can access this role when he grows up.

That State Counselor they were authorized to carry out most of the king’s official duties, such as attending Privy Council meetings, signing routine documents and receiving credentials from the new ambassador to England. However, there are a number of basic constitutional functions that cannot be delegated, such as Commonwealth affairs, appointment of prime ministers, dissolution of Parliament (unless expressly directed by the sovereign) or formation of associates.

The Office of State Counselor was established in 1937 under the provisions of the District Law. Prior to 1937, Regional Regulations were written and approved only when necessary. To date, there have been nine separate County Acts to cover various contingencies since 1728. However, shortly after George VI ascended the throne, a new County Act was passed which provided rules for all future governments. It was then that the new position of State Counselor was created to cover short-term absences where a district was not needed.

The current State Counselors are the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Sussex and Duke of York. However, if the Queen is sick or traveling, only Charles and William are expected to act that way.

Andrew and Harry’s controversial roles

It should not be forgotten that, apart from the Prince of Wales and his eldest son, the cases of Prince Andrew and the Duke of Sussex raise certain questions. And his situation within the royal family is complicated for various reasons.

Prince Harry has long been on the fringes of the Crown’s activities and, in fact, military honors and patronage have been withdrawn due to his desire to lead an independent life. In Andrés’ case, the situation is the same, but the reasons are different. The Duke of York has long been in the spotlight for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the Virginia Giuffre abuse lawsuit. Despite the fact that he had avoided trial thanks to an agreement with America, the reality was that his position and image had been badly damaged and he was cut off from official activities, to the point that His Majesty’s treatment had been withdrawn. . However, nothing was said about the role of the State Counselor.

In this context, it is not expected that any of them will be able to take on this important role at this time. In fact, the BBC’s Royal Correspondent Peter Hunt recently wrote on Twitter that “The public will not tolerate Prince Andrew stepping forward”. Victoria Howard, an expert at the Royal House, has clarified that Harry’s case is different, as, given the controversy over his safety, it is unlikely he will return to play this role.

However, although the possible role of the Duke of Sussex has been widely questioned, the truth is Buckingham Palace recently confirmed that the Duke of Sussex remains Counselor of Stateeven though he lives in California. Telegraph have reported that the Duke will be renewing his lease at Frogmore Cottage, which expires 31 March 2022. This meets the UK ‘residency’ requirement. Apart from other problems, The State Counselor must be a British citizen residing in the UK. If Harry has no place to live in England, at this point, the next one with the capacity to take on this role is Princess Beatrice of York.

Outside of matters directly related to Queen Elizabeth, the reality is that in when Carlos took over the Crown, it was possible to expect a change in the Advisory system. Camilla, as ruler’s wife – just like Kate Middleton when the time comes – will have direct rights to this role and will succeed the Duke of York, in the same way that the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will later.

Apart from the State Advisors, in the event that the king dies and the heirs are still minors, it is necessary to appoint a regent. This was a possibility that would only happen if Charles and William died, leaving George as king, but he would not be able to serve until he was an adult. In this case, according to County Lawwho would act like that would be the next successor over twenty-one years old, namely, Prince Harry, because George’s brother was younger than him.