By Hanisha Sethi Jasmine Carey
They may be brothers but Prince Andrew will never be able to step in for King Charles due to one key reason. The Duke of York has not been a working royal since becoming caught up in a number of scandals, including one where he was accused of sexual abuse by the late Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Andrew’s former friend Jeffrey Epstein. The 65-year-old has always denied the claims but the scandal tarnished his image and led to him taking a step back from royal life. He was also stripped of his royal titles which means Andrew no longer has a role to play in the monarchy. This is unlikely to change for one key reason – a subtle rule change in 2022 which means only working royals can stand in for the monarchy as Counsellors of State. READ MORE: Nosey police officer ‘checked secret logs to see who was living at old home’ Prince Andrew is technically still a Counsellor of State on paper, alongside Prince Harry , Express reports. But he cannot take on the role that Counsellors of State have, which is to act on the monarch鈥檚 behalf if the King develops an incapacity or is absent from the UK. Counsellors of State can take part in the state opening of Parliament, sign documents, receive ambassadors or attend Privy Council meetings. In a reading of the Counsellors of State Bill 2022-23 in the House of Lords in November 2022, it confirmed that in practice, only ‘working members of the Royal Family will be called on to act as Counsellors of State’. The bill became law in December 2022, meaning Prince Andrew and Prince Harry would not be able to represent the monarch if needed. But this is unlikely to be an issue for the Royal Family as the Counsellor of State position typically belongs to the sovereign’s spouse, which in this case is Queen Camilla. This then tends to be followed by the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. The King’s other siblings Princess Anne, 74, and Prince Edward, 61, can also able to step in for the monarch as King Charles wrote to the House of Lords requesting a new bill be passed. Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here .