Enlarge image
King Charles (right) with one of his “Counselors of State”: heir to the throne Prince William
Photo:
Kin Cheung/AP
King Charles is suffering from cancer. As brief as the information from Buckingham Palace is, many questions remain unanswered - especially when it comes to the 75-year-old monarch's health. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said only that the cancer was detected at an early stage.
What is clearer, however, is what will happen next in the royal family. The distribution of tasks is clearly regulated even in the event of the king becoming ill.
What impact does the diagnosis have?
First of all, not much changes. At least not when it comes to state affairs. Charles is not supposed to attend any public appointments for the time being, but will continue to conduct state affairs and, as usual, process official documents that come to him in his famous red box.
The monarch also meets weekly with British Prime Minister Sunak. As the BBC reports, these audiences could also take place virtually. Charles also wanted to attend the monthly meetings of the Privy Council. Part of this Privy Council includes the three heads of the Church of England, chief judges and politicians.
What are the duties of the king?
As a rule, the head of the United Kingdom has representative tasks; politically, he must maintain neutrality. However, King Charles' signature is required to put laws into effect. He approves the dissolution of parliament and asks the winner of the election to form a government. That will be important this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced general elections for the second half of the year.
Who will take over if Charles can't?
If the king is ill or is abroad, he can delegate some tasks to “Counselors of State” – i.e. state councilors. Traditionally, these are the monarch's wife, Queen Camilla, as well as the first four people in line to the throne who are over 21 years old. These are Charles' sons Prince William and Prince Harry, his brother Prince Andrew and his eldest daughter Princess Beatrice. It is required that at least two people work together. For various reasons, Harry and Andrew do not take on appointments for the royals. At the end of 2022, at Charles's request, his sister Princess Anne and his youngest brother Prince Edward were also appointed councilors of state.
What's next?
Heir to the throne William announced on Monday that he would end his time out while his wife Princess Kate was in hospital and would resume public duties. Kate underwent abdominal surgery in mid-January and was in the hospital for almost two weeks. She is now recovering at home in Windsor, where the couple now lives with their three children.
For now, the Windsors are looking for normality – as much as possible. The palace emphasized that Charles' wife Queen Camilla would continue to attend appointments. However, the announcement that Prince Harry was traveling from the USA to the United Kingdom caused a stir. The relationship between the 39-year-old and his father and brother William is considered to be broken. Nevertheless, Harry is still fifth in line to the throne.
hba/dpa