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Princess Anne and Prince Edward Officially Become Counsellors of State for King Charles

royals anne and edward
royals anne and edward

Chris Jackson/Getty

Princess Anne and Prince Edward have a new royal responsibility.

The Princess Royal, 72, and the Earl of Wessex, 58, officially became Counsellors of State on Wednesday. Now, the royals can carry out constitutional duties for their elder brother King Charles III if he is abroad or unwell.

The Counsellors of State Bill received royal assent on Tuesday and became law the day after. Anne and Edward are now Counsellors of State for Charles for life, according to the legislation.

Anne and Edward are now officially in a privileged position after the bill debuted in British Parliament in November. The legislation was "fast-tracked" through both houses to avoid the potential for "an awkward constitutional problem" involving Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, the BBC reported.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Vice Admiral, Sir Timothy Lawrence, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Mr Peter Phillips, King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex walk behind the coffin during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022 in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.

Chris Jackson/Getty

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The Counsellor of State position typically belongs to the sovereign's spouse, followed by the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. Currently, those are Queen CamillaPrince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice, Andrew's eldest daughter.

Because Harry, 38, and Andrew, 62, are no longer senior working royals, Parliament felt it was best to expand the cohort to include two more people who could be called upon to stand in for Charles. The Counsellors of State Act 2022 amends the Regency Acts 1937 to 1953, which were upheld as precedents until this point.

royals charles and anne
royals charles and anne

Samir Hussein/WireImage

The role is a return for Princess Anne and Prince Edward. The siblings were previously Counsellors of State to Queen Elizabeth before they were overtaken in the line of succession to the throne. Prince Edward is currently 13th while Princess Anne is 16th, having moved down in the order as King Charles and Prince Andrew had children and grandchildren.

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With King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton expected to spend time aboard next year in their elevated royal roles, the BBC previously pointed out that "counsellors could be a necessity when they are away."

Prince Andrew and Prince Harry
Prince Andrew and Prince Harry

James Manning- WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Andrew and Prince Harry

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At the end of her reign, the late Queen's Counsellors of State were then-Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew.

Though time had passed — Harry stepped back as a senior working royal and relocated to California in 2020, and Andrew was stripped of his military titles and patronages due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in January 2022 — they remained Counsellors of State to Queen Elizabeth. Public pressure to change the situation increased after she fought COVID in February, The Independent reported.