Princes Harry and Andrew could be ‘banned’ from deputising for King Charles as peers are set to debate law change preventing royals who ‘don’t undertake official duties on regular basis in previous two years’ from being Counsellors of State
- Prince Harry and Prince Andrew’s roles as Secretaries of State is to be debated
- The Counsellor of State bill will be discussed by Parliamentarians tomorrow
- Viscount Stansgate said ‘a sensible amendment’ should be discussed with King
Prince Harry and Prince Andrew face further changes to their roles as the House of Lords will debate a motion that would ban their roles as secretaries of state.
The amendment to tomorrow’s Counsellor of State bill will seek to exclude royals who have ‘not in the immediately preceding two years undertaken royal duties on a regular basis’.
A Cabinet source insisted it was neither the Government, nor Buckingham Palace’s position, that the plan would remove either prince from being a Counsellor of State, The Telegraph reports.
Labour peer Viscount Stansgate told the House of Lords that it was the right time to discuss ‘a sensible amendment’ with the King.
Prince Harry and Prince Andrew face further changes to their roles as the House of Lords will debate a motion that would ban their roles as secretaries of state
The amendment to tomorrow’s Counsellor of State bill will seek to exclude royals who have ‘not in the immediately preceding 2 years undertaken royal duties on a regular basis’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their withdrawal from royal duties on Instagram on January 8, 2020, in a move the British press dubbed ‘Megxit’.
The couple later relocated to Santa Barbara, California, and were interviewed by US television personality Oprah Winfrey in March last year, where they aired their grievances with the Royal family.
They signed a multi-million pound deal with Netflix later that year with plans for an off-the-wall series.
The Duke of Sussex’s book, titled Spare, is set to be published by Penguin Random House on January 10 – which will be more than four months since the death of Her Majesty on September 8.
Prince Andrew was last week said to be planning a ‘fightback’ as he is adamant a return to public life may still be possible.
It comes after Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, dropped a case she had brought against American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, saying she ‘may have made a mistake’ when she accused him of sexual abuse.
A source said: ‘Everything has changed and Andrew is determined to fight.’
Andrew, 62, paid Giuffre, 39, a reported £12 million to settle a civil case in which she accused him of sexual abuse. He has consistently and vehemently denied the claims.
Prince Andrew was last night said to be planning a ‘fightback’. He is pictured here attending a shoot with Princess Anne, Prince Edward and other members of the Royal Family on the Windsor estate on Saturday
It came as he spent yesterday shooting with Princess Anne, Prince Edward and other members of the Royal Family on the Windsor estate.
King Charles was also seen in Windsor and is thought to have joined his siblings in the afternoon.
But a Buckingham Palace source said the King had not attended the shoot, which took place two days before His Majesty’s 74th birthday.
The Duke appeared relaxed as he enjoyed lunch with Anne, her husband Tim Laurence, and Edward and his wife, the Countess of Wessex.
Andrew, 62, paid Giuffre, 39, a reported £12 million to settle a civil case in which she accused him of sexual abuse. He has consistently and vehemently denied the claims. This photo was developed in 2001, when Giuffre was 17
Sophie Winkleman, wife of Freddie Windsor, was also seen with the Royal party on the Windsor estate.
The pictures of the family gathering revealed that Andrew, far from being out in the cold, still has the support of members of his family. Yet he will not be present at the Cenotaph today as he is no longer able to take part in Royal events.
He was also absent from the Festival of Remembrance at the Albert Hall last night, which remembered those who fought in the Falklands conflict in 1982, in which Andrew served with the Royal Navy.
Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew was left ‘bereft’ and in tears after the King made it clear to him that there would be no way back for him at ‘the Firm’.
It comes after Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre (left), last week dropped a case she had brought against American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, saying she ‘may have made a mistake’ when she accused him of sexual abuse. Giuffre pictured here with her lawyer David Boies in 2019
The Duke is said to have been ‘blindsided’ by the outcome of the private meeting, held at Charles’s Birkhall estate in Scotland, just days before the Queen’s death. But his ex-wife and loyal supporter Sarah Ferguson was jubilant after news of Miss Giuffre’s backdown. A friend added: ‘There is a feeling Andrew wants to forge ahead with a new life but the only person who can agree to that is the monarch. It means these conversations will have to start all over again now that we have a new King.’
Prince Andrew is expected to be invited for Christmas at Sandringham but a source said that the Duke’s career was not foremost on the King’s mind.
An insider said: ‘As King, Charles has a very full in-tray. Senior palace aides have previously said that the Duke of York would be supported by the family to forge a new life away from the public gaze.’
A family Christmas? No thanks say Harry and Meghan
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are unlikely to join the Royal Family at Sandringham for their first Christmas without the Queen.
King Charles is understood to have invited Meghan and Harry, who remain ‘much loved’ members of the family despite quitting Royal duties nearly three years ago. But a source close to the King said: ‘They are unlikely to attend.’
It will be the first time that Charles hosts the annual family gathering and Christmas break at the private estate in Norfolk.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will be there, staying at nearby Anmer Hall, the home they were given by the Queen.
Other family members are expected to join the King and Queen Consort on their walk to church on Christmas morning.
There will be those within the Royal Family who may breathe a sigh of relief if the Sussexes send their regrets.
After Meghan described the late Queen’s funeral as ‘complicated’, the Sussexes’ presence over the mince pies may not go down well.
Harry is poised to release his bombshell memoirs in the New Year and a Netflix programme before that.
His book, Spare, will feature the painful episode of his mother’s tragic death, the publishers say.
King Charles was ‘displeased’ by Princess Anne and Prince Edward’s shooting party show of support for the Duke of York
By Kate Mansey for The Mail on Sunday
Relations at the top of the Royal Family turned decidedly frosty after Prince Andrew was spotted at a shooting party on the Windsor estate last Saturday with two of his siblings – a gathering from which King Charles has been keen to distance himself.
Princess Anne and Prince Edward, along with other members of the Royal Family, were seen together at the Windsor shoot two days before His Majesty’s 74th birthday.
But what had been intended as a show of support for the embattled Duke of York has had repercussions for their relationships with the new King.
Prince Andrew was spotted at a shooting party on the Windsor estate last Saturday with two of his siblings – a gathering from which King Charles has been keen to distance himself
A source told The Mail on Sunday that the King had decided not to attend the shoot – and was displeased that his younger brother Andrew was in attendance.
The source added: ‘King Charles was said to be displeased that Edward and Anne had been publicly meeting up with Andrew and wanted it made clear that he had not been part of the shoot.
‘Anne and Edward had been privately concerned about Andrew and wanted to check on him.
‘But Charles’s view is that he should not be in the public eye. His Majesty was not thrilled at all.’
While Andrew is expected to be received by the King at Sandringham for Christmas, he will not be included in the Royal Family’s annual walk to St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day.
However, Andrew isn’t the only sibling with whom the King is said to have slightly frosty relations.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, despite their tireless work supporting the late Queen and now the new King, do not appear to be in the new monarch’s inner-most circle.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex – who attended the shooting party – do not appear to be in the new monarch’s inner-most circle despite their work supporting him and the late Queen
Edward has not been awarded with the Duke of Edinburgh title that many expected him to inherit after his father’s death a year and a half ago.
At one point in time, the notion that Prince Edward would inherit his father’s title was such a certainty, it was even listed on the official Royal website.
Today, however, it is still unknown when – or even if – the King will grant the honour. As one source close to the Royal Family icily remarked: ‘It hasn’t gone unnoticed.’
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