King Charles has "no desire" to heap humiliation on Prince Harry and Prince Andrew by stripping them of an important royal role, an expert has said.
It has emerged that Charles will instead spare their blushes by expanding his pool of advisors and for the first time take on more than five Counsellors of State to assist him in official business should he be out of the country or become unwell to carry out his duties. At present, when the monarch is absent, state business, such as approvals for most appointments and legislation, can be conducted by two Counsellors of State.
The positions are currently held by Prince William, Andrew, Harry and Princess Beatrice, chosen because they are the four next in line to the throne and are at least over the age of 18. Queen Consort Camilla is also a Counsellor of State.
It was widely thought the King would strip his estranged son Harry and disgraced brother Andrew of the roles as they are no longer working members of the royal family.
But in a new twist, royal sources have confirmed the King will not allow his son and brother to be stripped of the role - and instead open it up to Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Princess of Wales.
And according to royal expert and author Ingrid Seward, this is because it is important for the King to "keep peace" within the family - especially with Harry's memoir Spare looming in the New Year.
She told the Mirror: "King Charles has no desire to heap humiliation on the sensitive shoulders of his younger son the Duke of Sussex or indeed his brother the beleaguered Duke of York.
"Both are counsellors of state which means that when the king is out of the country, they have the power to act on his behalf alongside another counsellor.
"The question arose when the Queen was still alive and it was decided that instead of removing the Dukes of Sussex and York as they were no longer working royals, it would be easier to simply appoint more counsellors of state to ensure Harry and Andrew were never called upon to perform the duties."
She continued: "King Charles has worked hard to maintain a working relationship with his son. He has every reason not to after being hurt and insulted by Harry’s derogatory insinuations about his parenting and his lack of generosity.
"But like most parents, Charles knows it is better to turn the other cheek than lose a child forever, which would not be difficult in the case of Harry.
"He seems angry with the world. Angry with the royal family and even angry with himself. His forthcoming book, Spare which is being published in the New Year will no doubt explain a lot of things.
"They may not be the things his father or indeed anyone else in the royal family wants to hear, but that is not a problem Charles can do anything about right now.
"Right now, it is important for the King to keep peace with his family and get on with the day-to-day business of being monarch, which is time-consuming in the troubled times he has come to reign over.
"Charles may not be close to his brother Andrew, but he does not want to be the one to degrade and humiliate him even more than he has been.
"He is mindful of his late mother’s special affection for Andrew and own loyalty."
Ingrid Seward is editor in chief of Majesty magazine and author of Prince Philip Revealed.
