King Charles will step back from many of his duties following his cancer diagnosis, clearing a schedule normally filled with public appearances, visits, and other engagements.
It is understood he will continue to work on his state business and official papers, and is looking forward to returning to full public duties as soon as possible.
There are not thought to be any current plans to appoint Counsellors of State – members of the Royal Family who step in when a monarch cannot conduct necessary state business because of illness or absence overseas.
But it is expected that certain members of “The Firm” will be called upon to be the public face of the Royal Family while Charles receives treatment.
Here is everything you need to know about who will be standing in for the King.
What are counsellors of state?
The Regency Act of 1937 stated that the monarch’s spouse and the first four adults in the line of succession could be called on to be counsellors.
Following Charles’s accession to the throne, his role could be fulfilled by Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.
Two counsellors of state must act together after the King signs a “letters patent” to allow them to do so.
The Act ensures stability, as without it certain royal functions are at risk of grinding to a halt.
Such procedures include giving bills royal accession in order to pass them into acts, giving final approvals to judges and attending privy council meetings.
These powers are rarely called upon. But in February 1974, Queen Elizabeth II was in New Zealand for the Commonwealth Games when Prime Minister Edward Heath asked her to dissolve Parliament for a general election.
Under the monarch’s express instructions, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, acting as counsellors of state, declared a state of emergency and dissolved Parliament.
Who are the counsellors of state?
In January, it emerged that Charles had effectively blocked Prince Harry and Andrew, the Duke of York, from acting as his substitute.
Both remain counsellors of state. But legislation that was discreetly passed shortly after Charles became King included the provision that only “working members of the Royal Family” could act on behalf of the monarch.
Andrew stepped back from royal duties in November 2019, while Harry quit as a working royal in 2020.
At the same time as drawing up the Counsellors of State Act 2022, the King added Anne, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Edinburgh to the group of royals eligible for the role.
Public duties
The life of a modern monarch is not limited to state business; more often, it is about being seen.
The King is expected to rely on his wife, Queen Camilla, 76, to keep up his steady stream of appearances. She was out nearly every day last week attending royal engagements.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has previously spoken about how Charles has relied on Camilla to remain “extremely tough” in difficult circumstances.
“It is worth remembering that she… remained silent when she was the object of so much criticism,” he told The Express. “She will help the King, who is her soulmate, regain his strength.”
Prince William, the King’s elder son and the first in line to the throne, will also be called upon.
He had stepped back from public duties in January to care for his wife, the Princess of Wales, and their three children after she underwent abdominal surgery.
But just hours before the King’s diagnosis was revealed on Monday, the Prince announced he was returning to royal work.
While the Princess of Wales recovers from her surgery, Princess Anne, 73, has been doing around two to three royal engagements a day.
The King’s sister travelled across the country last week, visiting Wales, Wiltshire and Nottingham in just seven days.
Prince Edward, meanwhile, is currently “taking a short break from public duties after his trips overseas in January to South Africa and St Helena”, according to The Telegraph.
His wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, has recently carried out engagements on his behalf.
