Under current regulations, the Prince of Wales is one of seven senior members of the family entrusted with making decisions on behalf of His Majesty in his absence or in case of illness. This responsibility stems from William's appointment as Counselor of State on his 21st birthday back in 2003. The King can delegate duties and tasks to these seven counselors, allowing them to attend official meetings and sign routine documents when he's abroad.
Prince Charles is scheduled to attend the Other Shot Prize Annual Summit in New York from September 18th to 19th. He will then rush back to England ahead of the King and Queen's departure for France the following day. His uncle Prince Edward and his cousin Princess Anne also hold the title of Counselors of State, but they were only included in the list of Royals allowed to take over from the King starting last year. The change also added Princess Beatrice to the fold, and William can rely on her help, even though she isn't a senior working Royal.
Queen only had four Counselors of State when she was alive—Prince Charles, Andrew, Prince William, and Prince Harry. The expansion of the council to include Edward and Beatrice came after the British royal family faced a major headache, with Prince Andrew not performing any official duties since November 2019 following a disastrous interview with the BBC, discussing his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the rules, the Sovereign can only delegate to members of the family who reside in the UK, a requirement that the Duke of Sussex could lose if he seeks to move his residence to California, as he has done. The rift between Prince Harry and the royal family has been really stressful for his close cousins, who understand and live the Royal machine.
Prince Harry may live thousands of miles away, but he remains close to his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. A family insider reveals that they're still the best of friends and talk constantly. The tensions between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with the royal family, particularly with father King Charles and brother Prince William, have been really stressful for Beatrice and Eugenie. They see both sides of it, and it's hard to watch.
The source added that Prince William knows what his endgame would be and where he'll be, being King one day. William's life revolves around that role and his family, but it's clear that his future is very different from Harry's, as they have different priorities and perspectives.
Prince Harry's bond with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie was recently on display at the King's coronation in May. Although Meghan stayed in California for the event with their two children, Prince Archie returned for coronation day. Harry entered Westminster Abbey, smiling and chatting with Beatrice, her husband, the adorable Eugenie, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank. The Duke of Sussex took his seat in the third row between Jack and Princess Alexandra.
