King Charles has changed royal protocol to ensure Prince Harry and Prince Andrew do not suffer the embarrassment of being pushed from a prestigious royal role, reports claim.
Although the Duke of Sussex and Duke of York were expected to no longer hold the positions of Counsellor of State after they left their roles as senior working royals, the new monarch has expanded the number of positions available – meaning the pair aren’t pushed out.
The top role, which involves assisting the monarch’s official business when they’re absent, has traditionally had no more than five people.
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But it will now be expanded to up to eight in a bid from the King to avoid humiliating Harry and Andrew, the Mirror reports.
(Image: Getty Images)
Sources claim that Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Princess of Wales are set to join the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice as official Counsellors of State.
One Buckingham Palace insider explained: “No-one will be excluded. The pool of Counsellors of State will be expanded, this is for purely practical reasons.
“As the King and Queen Consort are likely to be away, as could the Prince and Princess of Wales, it is only right this is attended to.”
While another added the decision had been made with the approval of the late Queen Elizabeth to “spare the blushes” of Harry and Andrew.
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
A formal process is now set to be put in motion that will complete the role’s expansion before King Charles embarks on his first oversees trip at the start of the new year.
Experts confirmed the decision to avoid formally kicking out Prince Harry and Prince Andrew was the “simplest way” of avoiding any issues.
Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, explained: “It makes perfect sense.
“It deals with the present problem in that there are not enough working royals to act as Counsellors of State…
“Overall, this is the simplest way of solving the problem, and the legislation should pass through Parliament without too much difficulty.”
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