Counsellor of State

For Counsellor of State in France, see Conseiller d'État.

In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the monarch, currently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when not in the United Kingdom or unavailable for other reasons (such as short-term incapacity or sickness). Any two Counsellors of State may preside over Privy Council meetings, sign state documents, or receive the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

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. Thus, the monarch can give instructions to the Counsellors of State or even personally discharge a certain royal prerogative when the counsellors are in place. The Counsellors of State and regents always act in the name and on behalf of the sovereign.

The Counsellors of State do not assume the discharge of the royal functions automatically when the sovereign is unavailable. Instead, when an instance of travel abroad or temporary unavailability occurs, the monarch must sign specific letters patent delegating the royal functions (or some of the royal functions) to the Counsellors of State and fixing the duration of the delegation. The monarch may at any time amend or revoke the said letters patent.

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 (except the heir-apparent or presumptive, who need only be 18 years old), they must be domiciled in Britain, and they must be a British subject. 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 queen consort, prince or princess was George Lascelles, 7th 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.

List of current Counsellors of State

As of June 2024, the Counsellors of State are:

Image	Name
	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
	Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
	Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
	Prince Henry of Wales
	Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Past Counsellors of State

The following is a list of all the people eligible to have served as a Counsellor of State, since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, in chronological order. Note that this list contains the dates not of when they served, but when they were eligible to serve.

George VI

Image	Name	Period	Relation
	HM The Queen (1900–2002)	1937 – 6 February 1952	Consort
	HRH The Duke of Gloucester (1900–1974)	1937 – 6 February 1952	Brother
	HRH The Duke of Kent (1902–1942)	1937 – 25 August 1942	Brother
	HRH The Princess Royal (1897–1965)	1937 – 6 February 1952	Sister
	HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Fife (1891–1959)	1937 – 21 April 1944	Cousin
	HG The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1914–1943) Never served	25 August 1942 – 26 April 1943	Second cousin
	HH Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk (1893–1945)	26 April 1943 – 7 February 1944	Cousin
	The Rt Hon. The Earl of Harewood (1923–2011)	7 February 1944 – 21 August 1951	Nephew
	HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (1926–)	21 April 1944 – 6 February 1952	Heir, daughter
	HRH The Princess Margaret (1930–2002)	21 August 1951 – 6 February 1952	Daughter

Elizabeth II

Image	Name	Period	Relation
	HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930–2002)	6 February 1952 – 10 March 1985	Sister
	HRH The Duke of Gloucester (1900–1974)	6 February 1952 – 10 June 1974	Uncle
	HRH The Princess Royal (1897–1965)	6 February 1952 – 25 December 1957	Aunt
	The Rt Hon. The Earl of Harewood (1923–2011)	6 February 1952 – 9 October 1956	Cousin
	HM The Queen Mother (1900–2002)	1953 – 30 March 2002	Mother
	HRH The Duke of Kent (1935–)	9 October 1956 – 26 August 1965	Cousin
	HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent (1936–)	25 December 1957 – 18 December 1962	Cousin
60px	HRH Prince William of Gloucester (1941–1972)	18 December 1962 – 15 August 1971	Cousin
	HRH The Duke of Gloucester (1944–)	26 August 1965 – 20 November 1966 10 June 1974 – 19 February 1981	Cousin
	HRH The Princess Royal (1950–)	15 August 1971 – 21 June 2003	Daughter
	HRH The Earl of Wessex (1964–)	10 March 1985 – 15 September 2005	Son

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

• Velde, François R. (2004). Regency Acts 1937 to 1953. Retrieved 2005.