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. While the establishment of a Regency carries with it the suspension of the monarch from the personal discharge of the royal functions, when Counsellors of State are appointed, both the Sovereign and the Counsellors can - the Counsellors within the limits of their delegation of authority - discharge the royal functions; so the monarch can give instructions to the Counsellors of State, or even personally discharge a certain royal prerrogative, when the Consellors are in place. The Counsellors of State and Regents always act in the name and on behalf of the Sovereign.
Contents |
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 Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (see below).
Since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, the only person to have been a Counsellor of State while not a royal is The Earl of Harewood (although Princess Maud of Fife, who served as a Counsellor of State between 1942 and 1945, styled herself simply Lady Southesk); prior to that the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury had been appointed to the position by George V.
Present
Currently, the Counsellors of State are:
- HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
- HRH The Prince of Wales
- HRH Prince William of Wales
- HRH Prince Henry of Wales
- HRH The Duke of York
List of Counsellors of State
The following is a list of all the people eilgible to have served as a Counsellor of State, since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, in chronological order. Prior to this, Counsellors were only appointed for specific trips and the appointment lapsed on the King's return. 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)
- His Grace the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1942–1943) (never ruled)
- HH Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk (1943–1944)
- 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 Henry of Wales (since 2005)
List of Councils of State
George V
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
1911 India |
Note: First Council of State |
| 1925 Mediterranean cruise |
|
| 1928–1929 King's illness |
Note: Lord Hailsham and Mr. Baldwin were replaced by Lord Sankey and Mr. MacDonald respectively in 1929 after the change of government. |
| 1936 Near death |
Edward VIII
Due to the brevity of King Edward's reign, there were no Councils under him.
George VI
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
1939 Canada 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 Princess Maud'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. |
Elizabeth II
1950s and 1960s
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
 Commonwealth tour, 24 November 1953 – 10 May 1954 |
|
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. |
|
 Nigeria
28 January – |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. |
 Denmark
21 May – 23 May 1957 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. |
| Commonwealth tour of Oceania, 2 February – 27 March 1963 |
|
|
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. |
|
 Canada
5 October – 13 October 1964 |
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. |
 West Germany
18 May – 28 May 1965 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Duke of Kent was also absent. |
 Canada
29 June – 5 July 1967 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
 Malta
14 November – 17 November 1967 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
 Brazil
5 November – 11 November 1968 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. |
 Chile
11 November – 18 November 1968 |
|
 Austria
5 May – 10 May 1969 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. † HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was also absent at some point. |
1970s
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
 Turkey
18 October – 25 October 1971 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Anne were with the Queen. |
| Tour of the Indian Ocean, 10 February – 26 March 1972 | |
|
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. |
|
 France
15 May – 19 May 1972 |
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. |
| Canada
25 June – 5 July 1973 |
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. |
 Australia
17 October – 22 October 1973 |
|
| Commonwealth tour of the South Pacific, 30 January – 28 February 1974 |
|
| Tour of the Caribbean and Mexico, 16 February – 1 March 1975 | |
 Finland
25 May – 28 May 1976 |
|
| Tour of North America, 6 July – 25 July 1976 | |
Notes: In the Canadian portion of the tour, the Queen opened the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Princess Anne was a participant, part of the British equestrian team. The immediate Royal Family (the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and all four of their children) were all present for part of the games – the first time that they had all been together in one place outside the British Isles. Thus, the Duke, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Anne were unable to act as Counsellors during their respective absences of July. However, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and the Duke of Gloucester were all available for the duration of the tour. |
|
 Luxembourg
8 November – 12 November 1976 |
|
| Commonwealth tour of North America, 14 October – 2 November 1977 |
|
| West Germany
22 May – 26 May 1978 |
|
| Canada
26 July – 6 August 1978 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Denmark
16 May – 19 May 1979 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of Africa, 19 July – 4 August 1979 |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
1980s
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
 Switzerland
29 April – 2 May 1980 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Australia
24 May – 28 May 1980 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Tour of North Africa, 21 October – 30 October 1980 | |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
 Norway
5 May – 8 May 1981 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of Oceania & Sri Lanka, 26 September – 25 October 1981 |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Canada
15 April – 18 April 1982 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of Oceania, 5 October – 1 November 1982 |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Commonwealth tour of the Caribbean, 13 February – 17 February 1983 |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Tour of North America, 8 March – March 1983 | |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Commonwealth tour of South Asia and East Africa, 9 November – 26 November 1983 |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| 25 March – 30 March 1984 | |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Canada
24 September – 7 October 1984 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 Portugal
25 March – 29 March 1985 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of the Caribbean, 9 October – 3 November 1985 |
|
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| 17 February – 13 March 1986 | |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Tour of East Asia, 12 October – 23 October 1986 | |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Canada
9 October – 24 October 1987 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Australia
19 April – 10 May 1988 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Australia
17 October – 21 October 1988 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 Barbados
8 March – 11 March 1989 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of Southeast Asia, 9 October – 21 October 1989 |
|
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
1990s
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth tour of Australasia and Singapore, 1 February – 17 February 1990 |
|
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Tour of the North Atlantic, 25 June – 1 July 1990 | |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
|
14 May – 17 May 1991 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of Southern Africa, 8 October – 19 October 1991 |
|
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Australia
18 February – 25 February 1992 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Malta
28 May – 30 May 1992 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| France
9 June – 12 June 1992 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Canada
30 June – 2 July 1992 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Germany
19 October – 23 October 1992 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 Hungary
4 May – 7 May 1993 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 Cyprus
18 October – 24 October 1993 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Commonwealth tour of the Caribbean, 18 February – 10 March 1994 |
|
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Canada
13 August – 22 August 1994 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 Russia
17 October – 20 October 1994 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 South Africa
19 March – 25 March 1995 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
 New Zealand
30 October – 11 November 1995 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Tour of Eastern Europe, 25 March – 29 March 1996 | |
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
 Thailand
28 October – 1 November 1996 |
Absences within Council: Unknown |
| Canada
23 June – 2 July 1997 |
Absences within Council: HRH The Prince of Wales represent The Queen in the Hong Kong handover ceremony in the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China |
| Commonwealth tour on the Indian subcontinent, 6 October – 18 October 1997 |
|
|
Absences within Council: Unknown |
|
| Commonwealth tour on the Indian subcontinent, 17 September – 23 September 1998 |
|
|
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with The Queen; The Princess Royal departed for Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Mauritius on the evening of 21 September |
|
 South Korea
19 April – 22 April 1999 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with The Queen. |
| Commonwealth tour of Africa, 7 November – 15 November 1999 |
|
|
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the gulf until the evening of 11 November; The Earl of Wessex was in the USA until the evening of 10 November |
|
2000s
| Year and occasion/destination | Counsellors |
|---|---|
| Australia
17 March – 1 April 2000 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the Caribbean until the morning of 21 March |
|
16 October – 19 October 2000 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen |
| Norway
30 May – 1 June 2001 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen |
| Commonwealth tour, 18 February – 3 March 2002 |
|
|
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the Americas from 27 February; The Prince of Wales departed for Brazil and Mexico on the evening of 3 March |
|
| Canada
4 October – 15 October 2002 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of Southwest Asia; The Earl of Wessex was in Finland until the afternoon of 6 October, and The Princess Royal was in Ethiopia 7 October – 11 October |
 Nigeria
3 December – 6 December 2003 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the Middle East |
| France
5 April – 7 April 2004 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Earl of Wessex was also (separately) in France |
| Germany
2 November – 4 November 2004 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Earl and Countess of Wessex were in Poland; The Duke of York visited the United Arab Emirates on 3 November, for the funeral of the late President Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan |
| Canada
17 May – 26 May 2005 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was in France until 18 May, and departed for Azerbaijan on 25 May |
| Malta
23 November – 26 November 2005 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen |
| 12 March – 18 March 2006 | |
|
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen |
|
| Tour of Baltic Europe, 17 October – 20 October 2006 | |
|
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen |
|
 United States
3 May – 8 May 2007 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was in Canada until the morning of 6 May |
| Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007, 20 November – 24 November 2007 | |
|
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Prince of Wales joined his parents for the CHOGM, departing Britain on the morning of 22 November |
|
| Turkey
13 May – 16 May 2008 |
Absences within Council: The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen |
See also
- List of state visits made by Queen Elizabeth II
- List of Commonwealth visits made by Queen Elizabeth II
- Regency Acts
- British monarchy
- Regent
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.
- Court Circular Archive
- The London Gazette
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