Will Princess Eugenie get a special new role after Prince Andrew loses titles?
Prince Andrew has lost his remaining royal titles, but how does that affect his role as Counsellor of State? Daily Express takes a look.
Now that Prince Andrew has given up his titles, including the Duke of York, following a "discussion with the King", questions have been raised over whether he will remain a counsellor of state.
In the event that The King cannot undertake his official duties as Sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent to act in His Majesty's place. By law, Counsellors of State include the Sovereign's spouse and the next four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21.
The current Counsellors of State are The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice.
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But due to Prince Harry and Prince Andrew stepping back as working royals, Princess Anne and Prince Edward were promoted under the Counsellors of State Act 2022. Princess Beatrice is also not a working member of the Firm.
No change in the law has been proposed since Andrew relinquished his remaining royal titles and honours on Friday night. So he remains a counsellor of state, though it is an inactive role because he is not a working royal; therefore, the monarch will not call upon him to deputise.
His youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, has therefore not received a new royal role and is not a counsellor of state.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will remain unaffected by Prince Andrew's decision to relinquish his remaining royal titles and roles. Shared in a newly-released statement, Andrew revealed that he will give up his titles, including his Dukedom of York, with immediate effect.
His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was known as Sarah, Duchess of York, has also given up her royal title. In his statement, Andrew said: "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life."
He continued: "With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
The most prominent scandal for the 65-year-old, who stepped down from royal duties in 2019, is his association with Epstein.
While Andrew will lose his rights to his remaining titles in public, his two daughters will remain unaffected owing to the rules laid down by King George V in 1917.
As Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were born as male-line grandchildren of a sovereign, they would retain their titles regardless of any decision.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Princess Eugenie would become a counsellor of state as her father had been removed from his role. We have amended this to reflect that Andrew remains a counsellor of state, though the role is inactive, and Eugenie has not been given the position.
