Princess Beatrice and Camilla get promotion to new roles under King Charles III’s reign
Princess Beatrice and Camilla get promotion to new roles under King Charles III’s reign
Princess Beatrice and Queen Consort Camilla Parker-Bowles will now have the constitutional role of Counsellors of State following King Charles III’s ascension to the throne
Princess Beatrice and Queen Consort Camilla Parker-Bowles have received a ‘promotion’ after King Charles III ‘s ascension to the throne.
The pair are now Counsellors of State, which means they will be theoretically able to take over as head of state should the King ever become incapacitated.
People given this title include the spouse of the Monarch and the next four people in line of succession over the age of 21.
As members of His Majesty’s Privy Council, they will also now be able to attend Privy Council meetings and sign some routine documents should they be required.
They will join Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew as holders of the mostly ceremonial constitutional role.
Queen Consort Camilla Parker-Bowles is now a Counsellor of State (
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A Privy Council position does not require the person to be a working royal, with Beatrice, Harry and Andrew all being private citizens.
Commenting on the change in roles, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk : “The role of Counsellors of State, currently the Consort of the monarch and the next four in line of succession to the throne, is to act in the event of the sovereign’s incapacity or absence.
Princess Beatrice has also been given the new role, which makes her a member of the Privy Council (
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“New Counsellors of State are the [former] Duchess of Cornwall, as the King’s Consort, and Princess Beatrice.”
He went on to say that the current Counsellors of State should be changed, as Harry “has stepped down from royal duties and is resident in America” while Andrew has “no royal duties or patronages.”
Mr Fitzwilliams admitted however that this would involve altering the current way Counsellors are chosen.
Some royal watchers have recently expressed their surprise at the fact that Princess Anne is not a Counsellor of State, as she is often called the hardest-working member of the Royal Family.
Counsellors of State can theoretically take on the King’s duties as head of state if he is incapacitated (
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)DON’T MISS
A now-abolished rule of male royal primogeniture means Anne as a female does not get succession rights, bumping the Queen’s third-born Andrew up the line ahead of her – and meaning the fourth Counsellor of the State title goes to his eldest, Beatrice.
The male royal primogeniture rule was changed in 2013 under the Succession to the Crown Act, which gave women equal succession rights to men.
But the rule is not retrospective, and only applies to those born after October, 28, 2011 – meaning Anne misses out.
