It looks like King Charles is already making big changes around Buckingham Palace!
One of the biggest changes concerns who can serve as his stand-in at official functions. This has been the royal protocol since 1937, but Charles is ready and willing to upend this long tradition.
But what is the stand-in protocol, and what is Charles changing about it? Let’s find out!
The Regency Act of 1937
This tradition goes back to the 1937 Regency Act. One of the laws laid out by this act is that, if the reigning monarch is indisposed, certain people can act as his official stand-in.
According to the act, there are only five people that can serve as a stand-in. This includes the monarch’s spouse and the next four adults in line for the throne.
Right now, that would be Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice. However, if Charles has his way, then three of those royals are going to no longer be able to serve as an official stand-in.
Changes from Charles
As written, the Regency Act states that any royals sufficiently close to the throne can serve as stand-ins. Charles wants to make a simple change that these royals must be working royals to serve as stand-ins.
In that case, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice would be out. Harry famously stepped back from working royal status and left the country with Meghan Markle. Prince Andrew stepped down from working royal status in 2019 amid controversy surrounding his association with Jeffrey Epstein. And Beatrice, like her sister Eugenie, has never been considered a working royal, allowing her to pursue her own passions and ambitions without worrying about the palace.
Honestly, it’s not immediately clear if Harry, Andrew, or Beatrice would even want to be Charles’ stand-ins in the first place. At any rate, under Charles’ plan, it looks like Prince Edward and Prince Anne. And given this big change, who knows how many other major changes Charles has planned for the Royal Family!