Prince Andrew and his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, continue to hold a key constitutional role as Counsellors of State amid controversies and scandals.
Despite losing major titles, patronages and public favour, the former Duke of York still has one crucial royal position.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claimed that no immediate plans are in place to revise the current roster.
However, he maintained that the arrangement warrants significant reform given the pair’s non-working status.
The British monarch currently has seven Counsellors of State, including Princess Beatrice and her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
A Counsellor’s role is to serve as a contingency when the monarch is unable to fulfil his or her duties due to health or other reasons.
Andrew and Beatrice currently do not serve as a working royal, making it unlikely they would ever be called upon to deputise for King Charles. And with the former prince’s popularity at its lowest point since his scandals come to public eye, calls for a shake-up of the Counsellors of State may only grow louder.
These positions are drawn from the four next adults in the line of succession aged 21 or over. Before 2022, the list comprised just five individuals: Queen Camilla (as the monarch’s spouse), Prince William, Prince Harry, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Princess Beatrice.
Legislation passed that year, the Counsellors of State Act 2022, expanded the group by bringing in Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Queen Camilla and Prince William are always first choices to stand in for the King, with Anne and Edward available to provide additional cover when needed.
Both Harry and Andrew have stepped back from royal duties and will not be summoned to act on the King’s behalf, while Beatrice has at no point held a formal working role within the institution.
Fitzwilliams appears unequivocal about the princess’s position: “Princess Beatrice will never be called upon, and as a non-working royal she cannot act for the King.”
He added: “I do not think there are any plans at the moment to alter the list and remove Beatrice and Andrew, but there is a case to change it drastically.”
Beatrice will mark her 38th birthday on Saturday, August 7, though celebrations are likely to be a muted affair as she continues to deliberately avoid public attention as she’s currelntly going through one of the most sensitves phase of her life.
2026-08-07 18:14:00
