Why Prince Andrew is making everyone nervous again

The most frequently asked press question to Buckingham Palace at the moment iswhether and what King Charles will do about the Problem Andrew. In this caseit is not about the scandal that cost him his position, but about an oldposition that he still has.

Anne and Andrew in 1971

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In 2011, pending the birth of the first child of Prince William and his wifeCatherine, Queen Elizabeth arranged for boys to be no longer preferred togirls in the line of succession to the throne. That was good news for PrincessCharlotte and bad news for Princess Anne, who may be the second oldest in theQueen’s family, but for whom that rule doesn’t apply retroactively. Andrewgoes in the hierarchy for her.

George VI and his wife Elizabeth (the Queen’s mother) in 1948

And there it is, in view of the new king’s ‘counsellors of state’. This clubwas founded in 1937 by George VI; these include people who can performofficial duties of the king if he is unable to do so himself for a short time(for example because he is ill or is temporarily unable to do it himself).

William, Charles and Harry in 2014, when the contacts were still cordial

There are five of them, and among them are automatically the legal consort ofthe monarch and the first four in the line of succession to the throne who areover 21. In the case of Charles III, that means his wife Camilla, PrinceWilliam, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Prince Beatrice.

This automatic appointment creates commotion and concerned looks, becauseBeatrice, Harry and Andrew are not ‘working royals’ and do not belong to theRoyal Family. Critics would rather see the trio replaced by Princess Anne,Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, all of whom haveworked tirelessly for the Crown for years.

This requires a change in the law and as swiftly as Charles appointed hiseldest son William as the new Prince of Wales, he lingers with this decision(and also with the passing of the Duke of Edinburg title to his youngestbrother Edward, but this aside).

Now it would mainly be a matter for the stage, because a Counselor of State israrely called upon. If so, they can, for example, attend the opening of theParliamentary year, attend Privy Counsel meetings, sign documents on behalf ofthe monarch and receive new ambassadors.

They cannot do anything about Commonwealth affairs, appoint a prime minister,hand out titles or send parliament home without the approval of the head ofstate.

So, limited power. But Anne and the Wessex seem more suitable for the rolethan Beatrice (no experience), Harry (already expressed his distaste for theroyal family exuberantly, no longer lives in England) and Andrew (certainlynot of impeccable behavior).

No one disputes the latter’s right (never convicted, no criminal record) to bepart of his mother’s grieving process, but the fact that he went around inuniform again, in what appeared to be rehabilitation, worries critics: nobodygets very excited about the idea that the prince would replace his olderbrother in an emergency.

Rest assured that Charles III will have to make a decision about this soon,when the mourning period for his mother is over tomorrow.

Photos (c) Getty Images

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