Two Announcements to Mark Charles' Birthday
He is the new Park Ranger of Windsor, and he is fixing his problem with Harry and Andrew as Counsellors of State
King Charles celebrated his 74th birthday today and made two interesting moves to mark the occasion.
First, he announced his appointment as Park Ranger of Windsor (with the accompanying picture below). This is a position that was held by his father the Duke of Edinburgh for 70 years. According to the Palace, “The Ranger offers guidance to the Deputy Ranger and his team in the day-to-day stewardship of one of the country’s oldest estates.” That seems to be a position right up Charles’ alley, but it left some royal watchers surprised.
Many people had thought that King Charles would appoint his brother Edward to the position. This brings to the surface again the lingering question of another and much larger appointment and question: will Charles grant the Edinburgh title to Edward?
When Edward married in 1999, the Palace indicated that he would receive the title Duke of Edinburgh after the death of the Queen (and Prince Philip, of course). Although Charles was quick to make William and Kate the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Edinburgh title to Edward has not been forthcoming, which has led many royal watchers to wonder if Charles ever intends to grant it.
The delay does leave one wondering, and of course everyone is also thinking about King Charles’ well-known desire to slim the monarchy. It is possible he feels that too much time has passed and there is little point in making his brother a duke. Of course, the Queen has only been gone a few months, and Charles might well be planning to make Edward the Duke of Edinburgh at some special date in the reasonably near future, too.
If reports are true that Charles is still deciding whether to make Archie and Lily HRHs, he might be holding back the Edinburgh title until he makes a final decision on everyone’s position in the family. As you know, I am inclined to think he does not want to make Archie and Lily HRHs, but that doesn’t mean he would refuse Edward his long-promised title.
The second and even bigger move made by Charles was to request the House of Lords to consider adding Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex as Counsellors of State.
As the Palace explains, Counsellors of State are “authorised to carry out most of the official duties of the Sovereign, for example, attending Privy Council meetings, signing routine documents and receiving the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.” The Counsellors of State are the sovereign’s spouse and the next four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. This arrangement was created by the Regency Act of 1937—i.e., these are positions dictated by law, which is why the sovereign cannot just bump Prince Andrew or Prince Harry off the list.