Home / Latest News / Prince Andrew

King Charles' 'Sensible Solution' Averted 'Potential Problems' Associated With Prince Harry and Prince Andrew Becoming Temporary Heads of State

King Charles' 'sensible solution' prevented Prince Harry or Prince Andrew running Britain as counselors-in-state.

king charles
Prince Harry and Prince Andrew will not be counselors-in-state. Source: MEGA

King Charles III will not be represented by Prince Harry and Prince Andrew during his recuperation next week from prostate surgery. This has led veteran royal expert and former press spokesman for the late Queen Elizabeth II, Dickie Arbiter, to share: "They’ve taken the most sensible option."

prince andrew

"Only Parliament can remove them as counselors of state and they’ve got their hands full so the [royal] household have said only working royals can stand in for the king which is a neat and sensible solution to a potential problem," he added. "Let’s not forget this is the first time Charles has been in hospital since he broke his arm in 1990 so he has had a wonderful run of health. He’s pretty fit and should bounce back quickly."

A counselor of state is a senior royal that can officially act on the monarch's behalf when the Sovereign is out of the country or incapacitated. Those selected are traditionally the king or reigning queen's spouse, which is currently Queen Camilla, and the first four in the line of succession to the throne, granted they are over 21 and maintain residence in the United Kingdom. Prince William, Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice are the current monarchy members meeting the criteria. The King instructed his government to add Prince Edward and Princess Anne in 2022.

king charles

Charles III cannot remove his son or the disgraced Andrew from the list, since it is Parliament's responsibility to do so. Rather than requesting the government to do this, he decided to simply add Edward and Anne to the counselors slate in case the Queen or Prince of Wales were unable to represent him. The assumption is that their addition means Harry or Andrew will never need to be used.

The news comes as the Montecito royals have yet to comment on the medical issues surrounding both the King and Catherine, Princess of Wales, who had abdominal surgery on Tuesday, January 16.

meghan markle

Once William and Kate's children come of age, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will eventually replace Harry, Andrew and Beatrice on the list. Although Harry is not and likely never will be needed to act as Britain's temporary head of state, the Duke is coming under fire from royal analysts for his lack of response to Charles III and the Princess of Wales' predicaments.

Wouldn't it have been good for Prince Harry to have supported his brother and his family instead of allowing very unkind and cruel things to be said about Kate in both his books Spare and in books which appear to have been written with his approval, if not cooperation?" royal journalist Michael Cole told an outlet.

king charles

Powered by RedCircle

The New York Post reported on Arbiter's comments.

GET BREAKING ROYAL NEWS
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

More Stories

A UK barrister has a warning for the royals suggesting that the bedrock of British culture is under a strain that it may never truly recover. 
By Sakshi Singh · FEB 19, 2026
A new account suggests the two sisters-in-law competed fiercely for press attention and public approval.
By Abha Anindita · FEB 7, 2026
The Grammy-nominated artist discussed Harry and Meghan on a podcast, and shared what she thought about the estrangement.
By Abha Anindita · FEB 5, 2026
Meghan has already started to tease what appears to be a carefully thought-out Valentine's Day rollout tied to love, gifting, and slow mornings at home.
By Madhurima · JAN 28, 2026
Although Prince Harry's private security team identified her immediately, they found themselves in a legal stalemate.
By Sakshi Singh · JAN 26, 2026
Harry named 10 associates he was in regular contact with during the relevant period, including his brother, sister-in-law, and ex, Chelsy Davy.
By Medha Sengupta · JAN 22, 2026
The Duke of Sussex entered the Gothic Victorian court building around 10 AM.
By Abha Anindita · JAN 19, 2026
This time around, the palace appears unwilling to loosen its purse strings beyond what is necessary.
By Medha Sengupta · JAN 17, 2026
Insiders say the couple took on total risk with no investors involved.
By Abha Anindita · JAN 16, 2026
Sources say the silence was deliberate — but the Princess of Wales is choosing calm
By Abha Anindita · JAN 13, 2026