King Charles III Planning to Remove Prince Harry From Another Official Duty Amid Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral

King Charles III is reportedly hoping to get a law changed so that his official stand-ins are required to be working members of the royal family. The current law on the books allows the first four adults in the line of succession to serve as Counsellors of State when the monarch is unable to fulfill their duties as head of state. This means Prince Harry and Prince Andrew could serve as Charles’ stand-ins, but he is looking to change that, reports The Sunday Telegraph.

The 1937 Regency Act allows the spouse of the monarch and the four adults next in the line of succession to the throne to serve as Counsellors of State if needed. The Counsellors of State are rarely deployed, but it’s not unheard of. In May, Queen Elizabeth II had then-Prince Charles and Prince William attend the State Opening of Parliament in her place. Prince Harry and Prince Andrew were also included on Queen Elizabeth‘s list of possible Counsellors of State.

The first four adults in the line of succession now are Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Andrew’s daughter, Princess Beatrice. If the Regency Act is not changed, that means three non-working royals would be eligible as Counsellors of State.

Sources told The Telegraph that the King “recognizes the incongruity of having a trio of non-working Royals able to step into his shoes if he is abroad or incapacitated.” He wants to change the law as soon as possible so his youngest brother, Prince Edward, and his sister, Princess Anne, could be elevated. It’s even possible that King Charles could have it tweaked so someone not in the line of succession could serve as Counsellor of State, including Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton.

Any change in the law would have to be passed by the Houses of Parliament. In the past, amendments from the monarch have to be proposed by Members of Parliament in response to a formal “message” from the monarch. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II proposed a change that would make Prince Philip regent if a child of the Queen took the throne before turning 18. Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, who was Home Secretary at the time, then laid the proposal in Parliament as a new Regency Act.

King Charles, 73, ascended to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 at age 96. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday. Prince William and Middleton’s eldest children, Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, will walk in the procession right after their parents as the Queen’s casket is moved from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will follow behind them. King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort will lead the procession. The Queen will be laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The funeral begins at 11 a.m. GMT (6 a.m. EST).

“Over the last ten days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world,” the King said in a new statement on Sunday before his mother’s funeral. “In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough, and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, The late Queen. As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief.”