• The monarch appoints five Counsellors of State to stand in for her/him when she/he is ill or away.
• These include the monarch’s spouse as well as the top four royals in line to the throne.
• The 2013 Succession to the Crown Act ended primogeniture for those born after 2011.

There are rumours that a procedural custom will give Prince Andrew a prominent role in the country while leaving Princess Anne out in the cold.

According to tradition, the British monarch selects five Counsellors of State to stand in for her/him when she/he is ill or away.

Counsellors of State include the monarch’s spouse as well as the top four royals in line to the throne, according to Robert Peston, ITV’s Political Editor, under rules in place since Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

He wrote on Twitter, “The monarch appoints five Counsellors of State to stand in for him when he is unwell or out of the UK. They are his spouse plus the top four in succession to the crown who are aged 21 or over.”

He continued: “These include Prince Andrew and his daughter Princess Beatrice (only just appointed) but not Princess Anne, who is probably the most widely respected of the Royal Family.”

“Many would say this is nuts, especially since the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act ended primogeniture, though only for those born after 2011. ”

“So if King Charles were incapacitated, Andrew would step in, not Anne.”

Peston’s comment has generated concerns that Andrew will continue to play a role that some would like Anne to play, with one Twitter user writing, “people would not stand” for Andrew having a role.”

Another person answered, saying, “they did not think people would approve of Andrew occupying the role.”

A third wrote, “Princess Anne’s not being a Counsellor of State as bonkers”.

The fourth wrote, “Princess Anne is clearly a person of great honesty and trust. It would be correct for her as the Queen’s eldest daughter to lead.”

Counsellors of State are the monarch’s wife or husband if they are married, and the four persons who are next in line to the throne.

Counsellors of State are authorised by The Regency Act 1937 to carry out most of the monarch’s official duties, such as attending Privy Council meetings, signing routine documents, and accepting the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.

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