Charles snubs Harry & Andrew as he hands out roles to Edward & Anne

The King has moved to add Princess Anne and Prince Edward to the list of royals who can stand in for him for official duties. Charles has made a request to the House of Lords for the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex to be made Counsellors of State.Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice currently hold the roles, as the wife of the monarch and the first four adults in the line of succession.But there have been ongoing questions over the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York remaining in the pool of royals who can act on behalf of the King as they are no longer working members of the monarchy.In his statement, Charles said: “To ensure the continued efficiency of public business when I’m unavailable, such as while I’m undertaking official duties overseas, I confirm that I would be most content should Parliament see fit for the number of people who may be called upon to act as Counsellors of State under the terms of Regency Acts 1937 and 1963 to be increased to include my sister and brother, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex and Forfar.” The King has made a request for two more Counsellors of State (Image: GETTY)Counsellors of State can carry out constitutional duties if the monarch is unwell or overseas.But there have been continuing questions over the feasibility of either Andrew or Harry stepping in.The Duke of York stood down from public duties in 2019 following his disastrous Newsnight interview about his association with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.And he lost his HRH style and military roles earlier this year ahead of paying millions to settle a civil sex assault case brought against him in the US by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.Andrew has always strenuously denied the claims and the settlement was not an admission of guilt on the part of the Duke.Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex is living in California with Meghan Markle after quitting royal duties in 2020 for a new life of personal and financial freedom across the pond.It comes after royal sources last month said Charles was likely to expand the list of Counsellors of State.Any update will require an amendment to the Regency Act.