How William And Catherine's Travel Plans Forced King Charles' Hand When Assigning New Royal Roles

Since King Charles III took the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022, some royal titles are changing to reflect the new status of royal family members, per Insider.

For example, Prince William and Catherine Middleton, who formerly held the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are now titled William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, respectively. Camilla Parker Bowles, who married King Charles III in 2005, now holds the title of Queen consort instead of her former title, the Duchess of Cornwall. But, what does the ascent of King Charles III mean for members of the royal family who have become estranged in recent years, namely, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and the brother of the king, Prince Andrew, Duke of York? 

While Prince Harry took a step back from his royal duties — and new claims are emerging about why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle really left the royal family — Prince Andrew was stripped of his following his alleged sex scandals, per Reuters. King Charles III also allegedly "blindsided" his brother, Prince Andrew, in a heated meeting just before the Queen's death.

Because Prince Harry and Prince Andrew no longer serve their royal duties, King Charles III requested this week that the British Parliament amend the Regency Act in order to add his siblings, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Anne, Princess Royal. This is so that they can fulfill duties as Counsellors of State, per Yahoo News. 

The Regency Act of 1937 created the Counsellors of State as we know it today, which are a group of the next four royal family members in the line of succession and the spouse of the ruling monarch. They are appointed to cover "short-term absences" on behalf of the monarch, per the British Royal website. At present, the Queen consort, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, are the five Counsellors of State. Thus, each of these members could be called upon at any point to fulfill absences on behalf of the king. However, given that neither Prince Harry nor Prince Andrew are working members of the royal family at present, it's hoped that they would never need to be called upon. That's where King Charles III's other two siblings would come into play.

Both Princess Royal Anne and Prince Edward have been Counsellors of State before but were replaced by Prince William and Prince Harry when they turned 21, in accordance with the line of succession, per ITV. Because William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales have plans to travel to the U.S. soon, their absence would leave King Charles III with just two Counsellors of State realistically on call, per Express. It's not yet confirmed whether Parliament will agree to the amendment.