Description
Quotation: Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional law lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, warned that in order for counsellors of state to act for the King, he must first enact letters patent to allow them to do so.Prescott said: “The point of adding this statement that only working royals would called on to act as counsellors of state was a way of dealing with the situation in the simplest way possible. It might have been viewed as malice against Harry otherwise, so in many respects it was the most elegant way to do it.”
The Palace has maintained that they do not see the need for the King to appoint counsellors of state to act for him while he undergoes a hospital procedure next week.
Prescott, however, added: “If the King is undergoing a general anaesthetic then it’s always good to have a Plan B. It’s no great effort to sign letters patent, which would be required to appoint counsellors but the King would need to do this as a precaution.
“There may, for example, be the need for an urgent privy council meeting to discuss royal assent for a bill, without which legislation could be delayed.
“Once, for example, the late Queen even held a privy council meeting at Heathrow airport.
“On other occasions counsellors of state have been called back to the UK from abroad to ensure there are enough to act jointly on behalf of the sovereign. Princess Margaret was once asked to return to London because there wasn’t a sufficient number of counsellors of state in the UK to act if required.”
| Period | 18 Jan 2024 |
|---|---|
| Held at | The Times, United Kingdom |