KING Charles’ plan to hand new roles to Princess Anne and Prince Edward will mean a significant promotion for his youngest brother – and is a long-awaited pat on the back.
His Majesty wants to amend the Regency Act – last changed in 1953 – to widen his pool of ‘counsellors of state’ to stand in while he’s out of the country or unwell.
It would mean the Earl of Wessex, 58, is trusted to carry out state business and is, according to a senior royal aide, “seen – finally you may say – as a safe pair of hands, a solid and worthy individual”.
“It’s a sort of pat on the back, an acknowledgement of his well-earned place in the Firm, and a move that will please him and Sophie,” they add.
“It’s also a sign of the new King sticking to his plan for a streamlined working monarchy – Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, Edward and Sophie, and Anne.”