Britain’s King Charles III was reportedly planning on Thursday to expand the pool of royals authorized to perform for him in his absence, leaving out non-working royals Prince Harry and the Duke of York. .
Charles is expected to amend the “Regency Law” to add his brother Edward, the Earl of Wessex, and his sister Anne, the Princess Royal, The Daily Telegraph and the BBC reported, citing sources.
The Telegraph reported that the amendments could be brought before parliament “within a few weeks”, citing “real insiders” as saying it was a “logical step”.
Buckingham Palace has not made an official statement.
Currently, the list of royals who can temporarily replace the 73-year-old monarch if he is absent or ill only includes Charles’s wife, Camilla, the heir to the throne, Prince William, Harry, Andrew and their daughter Beatrice, who isn’t even working royalty.
A longer list would allow the Palace to overlook Harry, who has resigned as a royal and lives in the US, and Andrew, who has retired from public life because of his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the accusations of sex with a minor, without directly excluding them.
Royal Daily Express reporter Richard Palmer tweeted that amendments “to create more deputies for the King are now a priority, sources confirmed.”
He said this would mean “the King never has to ask non-working royals like Harry, Andrew or Beatrice to replace him.”
The role includes signing documents and receiving ambassadors, the BBC said.
The regency issue was raised in the House of Lords on Monday, with Labor peer Stephen Benn questioning the current situation in which Andrew and Harry can exercise these powers.
“Is it not time for the government to approach the King to see if a sensible amendment to this Act can be made?” Ben asked.
Senior Tory colleague Nicholas True seemed to confirm such a discussion, saying the government “will always consider what arrangements are necessary to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements”.
He added that “in the past we have seen that the point of accession has proven to be a useful opportunity to consider existing arrangements”.
Queen Elizabeth II suffered from health problems during the last year of her life.
She asked Charles to stand in for her at events such as the state opening of parliament, showing that the legislation “is still very relevant,” Benn said.