Counsellor of State
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, presently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is abroad or unavailable for other reasons (such as short-term incapacity or sickness). Any two Counsellors of State may attend Privy Council meetings, sign state documents or receive the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first Counsellors of State were created in 1911 by an order in council of George V, and this process was repeated on each occasion of the King's absence or incapacity. The Regency Act 1937 established in law those individuals that could serve as Counsellors of State. The Counsellors of State are the consort of the monarch and the first four people in the line of succession who meet the qualifications. These qualifications are the same as those for a regent: they must be at least 21 years old (unless s/he is the heir-apparent or presumptive, in which case the requirement is 18 years), they must be domiciled in the United Kingdom, and they must be a British citizen. One exception was made for The Queen Mother (see below).
The only person to have been a Counsellor of State and but not a royal was The Earl of Harewood (although Princess Maud of Fife styled herself simply Lady Southesk).
[edit] Present
Currently, the Counsellors of State are:
[edit] Future
When the Prince of Wales becomes King, it is likely the Counsellors of State will be:
- HRH The Duke of Cornwall (who will at some point be invested Prince of Wales)
- HRH The Prince Henry (or whatever Dukedom he may then hold)
- HRH The Duke of York
- HRH Princess Beatrice of York (or HRH The Earl of Wessex, if she is not yet 21)
There is also the possibility that the King's father, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, if he is still alive and willing, may be made a counsellor, like HM The Queen Mother was.
[edit] List of Counsellors of State
Here are all the people who have served as a Counsellor of State in chronological order. Note that this list contains the dates not of when they ruled, but when they actually held the position.
- HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1937–1952, 1953–2002)[1]
- HRH The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1937–1974)
- HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent (1937–1942)
- HRH The Princess Mary, Princess Royal (1937–1957)
- HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught (1937–1944)
- HH Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk (1942–1944)
- The Rt Hon The Earl of Harewood (1944–1951, 1952–1956)
- HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Elizabeth II) (1944–1952)
- HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1951–1985)
- HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (since 1952)
- HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1956–1965)
- HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent (1957–1962)
- HRH Prince William of Gloucester (1962–1971)
- HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1965–1966, 1974–1981)
- HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (since 1966)
- HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal (1971–2003)
- HRH The Prince Andrew, Duke of York (since 1981)
- HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (1985–2005)
- HRH Prince William of Wales (since 2003)
- HRH Prince Harry of Wales (since 2005)
[edit] List of Councils of State
[edit] George V
| Year & Occasion/Destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
1911 India |
Note: First Council of State |
| 1925 Mediterranean cruise |
|
| 1928–1929 King's illness |
Note: Lord Hailsham and Baldwin were replaced by Lord Sankey and MacDonald respectively in 1929 after the change of government. |
| 1936 Near death |
[edit] Edward VIII
Due to the brevity of King Edward's reign, there were no Councils under him.
[edit] George VI
| Year & Occasion/Destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
1939 CanadaThe  United States |
Absences: The Queen accompanied the King on his trip. Notes: Since the Queen accompanied the King, she was technically not on the Council. However, she was listed among those in the Council. This created a problem, and was solved by the Regency Act 1943, which modified the Regency Act 1937, and said that if someone is absent and does not act as Counsellor, they will not be listed among the Counsellors. This occasion was the first rule of the Council of State under the provisions of the Regency Act 1937. |
| 1943 North Africa tour |
Notes: HRH The Princess Elizabeth, the heiress-presumptive, was soon to turn 18. She would have been allowed to reign in her own right or act as a regent to her father on her 18th birthday; however, she could not act in the Council of State until she was 21. This was also fixed by the Regency Act 1943. This was Lady Southesk's only time as a Counsellor. |
1944 Italy |
Notes: Though at this time, Viscount Lascelles should have been a Counsellor of State, he was a prisoner of war. The regular solution would be for him to simply be not included among the Counsellors. Nevertheless, Princess Arthur was made a replacement. This was Elizabeth II's first time helping to rule the country. |
| 1947 Tour of Africa |
Absences within Council: HM The Queen and HRH The Princess Elizabeth were with the King. |
| 1951 King's illness |
Notes: The King had planned to take a cruise with the Queen and Princess Margaret while Princess Elizabeth was on tour; however, this would have only left the Duke of Gloucester and the Princess Royal as Counsellors of State. There were plans to change the law so as to allow someone further down the succession to act as Counsellor of State, but the King died before the issue came up and the Regency Act 1953 did not make this rule. |
[edit] Elizabeth II
| Year & Occasion/Destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
1953 Commonwealth tour |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. |
1956 Nigeria |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. |
1957 Denmark |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. |
1963 Australia New Zealand Fiji |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Duke of Gloucester, HRH Prince William of Gloucester, and HRH The Duke of Kent were also absent. |
| 1964 Canada |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester and HRH The Duke of Kent were also absent. |
1965 Germany |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Duke of Kent was also absent. |
| 1967 Canada |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
1967 Malta |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
1968 Brazil Chile |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
1969 Austria |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
| 1969 Austria |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester and HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon were also absent. |
1971 Turkey |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Anne were with the Queen. |
1972 Thailand Singapore Malaysia BruneiThe  MaldivesThe  Seychelles Mauritius Kenya |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Anne were with the Queen; HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon were also absent. |
1972 France |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and HRH The Prince of Wales were also absent. |
| 1973 Canada |
Notes: This was the first trip on which the Queen went without the Duke of Edinburgh, who therefore stayed behind as a Counsellor of State. |
| 1973 Australia |
|
1974 New Zealand Norfolk IslandThe  New HebridesThe  Solomon Islands Papua New Guinea Australia Indonesia |
|
1975 Bermuda BarbadosThe  Bahamas Mexico |
|
1976 Finland |
|
| 1976 Bermuda The United States Canada |
|
1976 Luxembourg |
|
| 1977 Canada The  Caribbean |
|
| 1978 Germany |
- See also: List of state visits made by Queen Elizabeth II
- See also: List of Commonwealth visits made by Queen Elizabeth II
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ When George VI died, Queen Elizabeth ceased to be queen consort, thus losing her position as Counsellor of State. However, the Regency Act 1953 made a special exception, including Queen Elizabeth as a Counsellor of State.
- Velde, François R. (2004). Regency Acts 1937 to 1953. Retrieved 2005.
- The London Gazette
