COUNSELLOR OF STATE

In the United Kingdom, 'Counsellors of State' are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, presently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is abroad or unavailable for other reasons (such as short-term incapacity or sickness). Any two Counsellors of State may attend Privy Council meetings, sign state documents or receive the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.

Contents

History

Present

List of Counsellors of State

List of Councils of State

Due to the brevity of King Edward's reign, there were no Councils under him.

See also

References

History

The first Counsellors of State were created in 1911 by an order in council of George V, and this process was repeated on each occasion of the King's absence or incapacity. The Regency Act 1937 established in law those individuals that could serve as Counsellors of State. The Counsellors of State are the of the monarch and the first four people in the line of succession who meet the qualifications. These qualifications are the same as those for a regent: they must be at least 21 years old (unless s/he is the heir-apparent or presumptive, in which case the requirement is 18 years), they must be domiciled in the United Kingdom, and they must be a British citizen. One exception was made for The Queen Mother (see below).
Since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, the only person to have been a Counsellor of State while not a royal is The Earl of Harewood (although Princess Maud of Fife styled herself simply ''Lady Southesk''); prior to that the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Council, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury had been appointed to the position by George V.

Present

Currently, the Counsellors of State are:

★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
#HRH The Prince of Wales
#HRH Prince William of Wales
#HRH Prince Henry of Wales
#HRH The Duke of York

List of Counsellors of State

The following is a list of all the people who have served as a Counsellor of State, since the passage of the Regency Act 1937, in chronological order. Prior to this, Counsellors were only appointed for specific trips and the appointment lapsed on the King's return. Note that this list contains the dates not of when they ruled, but when they actually held the position.

★ HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1937–1952, 1953–2002)^[1]

★ HRH The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1937–1974)

★ HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent (1937–1942)

★ HRH The Princess Mary, Princess Royal (1937–1957)

★ HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught (1937–1944)

★ HH Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk (1942–1944)

★ The Rt Hon The Earl of Harewood (1944–1951, 1952–1956)

★ HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Elizabeth II) (1944–1952)

★ HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1951–1985)

★ HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (since 1952)

★ HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1956–1965)

★ HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent (1957–1962)

★ HRH Prince William of Gloucester (1962–1971)

★ HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1965–1966, 1974–1981)

★ HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (since 1966)

★ HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal (1971–2003)

★ HRH The Prince Andrew, Duke of York (since 1981)

★ HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (1985–2005)

★ HRH Prince William of Wales (since 2003)

★ HRH Prince Henry of Wales (since 2005)

List of Councils of State

===George V===

Year and occasion/destination	Counsellors
'1911' India	★ HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught ★ The Rt Hon and Most Rev The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury ★ The Lord Chancellor, The Rt Hon The Earl of Loreburn ★ The Lord President of the Council, The Rt Hon The Viscount Morley''Note'': First Council of State
'1925' Mediterranean cruise	★ HRH The Prince Henry ★ The Rt Hon and Most Rev The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury ★ The Lord Chancellor, The Rt Hon The Viscount Cave ★ The Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Stanley Baldwin
'1928–1929' King's illness	★ HM The Queen#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York ★ The Rt Hon and Most Rev The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury ★ The Lord Chancellor ★ ★ The Rt Hon The Lord Hailsham ★ ★ The Rt Hon The Lord Sankey ★ The Prime Minister ★ ★ The Rt Hon Stanley Baldwin ★ ★ The Rt Hon Ramsay MacDonald''Note'': Lord Hailsham and Baldwin were replaced by Lord Sankey and MacDonald respectively in 1929 after the change of government.
'1936' Near death	★ HM The Queen#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Duke of Kent

===Edward VIII

Due to the brevity of King Edward's reign, there were no Councils under him.

George VI===

Year and occasion/destination	Counsellors
'1939' Canada United States	★ ''HM The Queen''#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Duke of Kent#HRH The Princess Royal#HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught''Absences'': The Queen accompanied the King on his trip.''Notes'': Since the Queen accompanied the King, she was technically not on the Council. However, she was listed among those in the Council. This created a problem, and was solved by the ''Regency Act 1943'', which modified the ''Regency Act 1937'', and said that if someone is absent and does not act as Counsellor, they will not be listed among the Counsellors. This occasion was the first rule of the Council of State under the provisions of the ''Regency Act 1937''.
'1943' North Africa tour	★ HM The Queen#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Princess Royal#HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught#HH Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk (styled as Lady Southesk)''Notes'': HRH The Princess Elizabeth, the heiress-presumptive, was soon to turn 18. She would have been allowed to reign in her own right or act as a regent to her father on her 18th birthday; however, she could not act in the Council of State until she was 21. This was also fixed by the ''Regency Act 1943''. This was Lady Southesk's only time as a Counsellor.
'1944' Italy	★ HM The Queen#HRH The Princess Elizabeth#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Princess Royal#HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught''Notes'': Though at this time, Viscount Lascelles should have been a Counsellor of State, he was a prisoner of war. The regular solution would be for him to simply be not included among the Counsellors. Nevertheless, Princess Arthur was made a replacement. This was Elizabeth II's first time helping to rule the country.
'1947' Tour of Africa	#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Princess Royal#Viscount Lascelles''Absences within Council'': HM The Queen and HRH The Princess Elizabeth were with the King. ''Notes'': Lord Harewood's first time as a Counsellor of State.
'1951' King's illness	★ HM The Queen#HRH The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh#HRH The Princess Margaret#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Princess Royal''Notes'': The King had planned to take a cruise with the Queen and Princess Margaret while Princess Elizabeth was on tour; however, this would have only left the Duke of Gloucester and the Princess Royal as Counsellors of State. There were plans to change the law so as to allow someone further down the succession to act as Counsellor of State, but the King died before the issue came up and the ''Regency Act 1953'' did not make this rule.

=== Elizabeth II ===

Year and occasion/destination	Counsellors
'Commonwealth tour', ''24 November 1953 – 10 May 1954''
★ Bermuda ★ Jamaica ★ Fiji ★ Tonga ★ New Zealand ★ Australia ★ Cocos Islands ★ Ceylon ★ Aden ★ Uganda ★ Malta ★ Gibraltar	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Margaret#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Princess Royal#The Rt Hon The Earl of Harewood''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. ''Notes'': First Council under Elizabeth II, first time the Queen Mother was a Counsellor under the laws of the ''Regency Act 1953''.
'Nigeria'''28 January – 16 February 1956''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Margaret#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Princess Royal#The Rt Hon The Earl of Harewood''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen.
'Denmark'''21 May – 23 May 1957''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Margaret#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH The Duke of Kent#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen. ''Notes'': This was the first time the 2nd Duke of Kent served as Counsellor of State.
'Commonwealth tour of Oceania', ''2 February – 27 March 1963''
★ Fiji ★ New Zealand ★ Australia	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Duke of Gloucester, HRH Prince William of Gloucester, and HRH The Duke of Kent were also absent. ''Notes'': Princess Margaret was scheduled to go on a trip to Paris; however, when it was noticed that her trip would leave only the Queen Mother to rule the United Kingdom, and at least 2 of the Counsellors are needed to carry out royal duties, her trip was cancelled.
'Canada'''5 October – 13 October 1964''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester and HRH The Duke of Kent were also absent.
'West Germany'''18 May – 28 May 1965''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester#HRH Prince William of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Duke of Kent was also absent.
'Canada'''29 June – 5 July 1967''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. ''Notes'': This was the Prince of Wales's first appointment.
'Malta'''14 November – 17 November 1967''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent.
'Brazil'''5 November – 11 November 1968''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent.
'Chile'''11 November – 18 November 1968''
'Austria'''5 May – 10 May 1969''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon†#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH Prince William of Gloucester was also absent. † HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was also absent at some point.
'Turkey'''18 October – 25 October 1971''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Anne were with the Queen.
'Tour of the Indian Ocean', ''10 February – 26 March 1972''
★ Thailand ★ Singapore ★ Malaysia ★ Brunei ★ Maldives ★ Seychelles ★ Mauritius ★ Kenya	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Anne were with the Queen; HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon were also absent.
'France'''15 May – 19 May 1972''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and HRH The Prince of Wales were also absent. ''Notes'': This was Princess Anne's first appointment as a Counsellor of State.
'Canada'''25 June – 5 July 1973''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Notes'': This was the first trip on which the Queen went without the Duke of Edinburgh, who therefore stayed behind as a Counsellor of State.
'Australia'''17 October – 22 October 1973''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'Commonwealth tour of the South Pacific', ''30 January – 28 February 1974''
★ New Zealand ★ Norfolk Island ★ New Hebrides ★ Solomon Islands ★ Papua New Guinea ★ Australia ★ Indonesia	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'Tour of the Caribbean and Mexico', ''16 February – 1 March 1975''
★ Bermuda ★ Barbados ★ Bahamas ★ Mexico	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'Finland'''25 May – 28 May 1976''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'Tour of North America', ''6 July – 25 July 1976''
★ Bermuda ★ United States ★ Canada	★ ''HRH The Duke of Edinburgh'' ★ HM The Queen Mother#''HRH The Prince of Wales''#''HRH The Princess Anne''#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Notes:'' In the Canadian portion of the tour, the Queen opened the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Princess Anne was a participant, part of the British equestrian team. The immediate Royal Family (the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and all four of their children) were all present for part of the games – the first time that they had all been together in one place outside the British Isles. Thus, the Duke, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Anne were unable to act as Counsellors during their respective absences of July. However, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and the Duke of Gloucester were all available for the duration of the tour.
'Luxembourg'''8 November – 12 November 1976''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'Commonwealth tour of North America', ''14 October – 2 November 1977''
★ Canada ★ Bahamas ★ British Virgin Islands ★ Antigua and Barbuda ★ Barbados	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'West Germany'''22 May – 26 May 1978''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester
'Canada'''26 July – 6 August 1978''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Denmark'''16 May – 19 May 1979''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of Africa', ''19 July – 4 August 1979''
★ Tanzania ★ Malawi ★ Botswana ★ Zambia	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Switzerland'''29 April – 2 May 1980''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Australia'''24 May – 28 May 1980''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Tour of North Africa', ''21 October – 30 October 1980''
★ Morocco ★ Tunisia ★ Algeria	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon#HRH The Duke of Gloucester''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'': Last council for the Duke of Gloucester
'Norway'''5 May – 8 May 1981''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'': First time Prince Andrew served
'Commonwealth tour of Oceania & Sri Lanka', ''26 September – 25 October 1981''
★ Australia ★ New Zealand ★ Sri Lanka	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Canada'''15 April – 18 April 1982''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of Oceania', ''5 October – 1 November 1982''
★ Australia ★ Papua New Guinea ★ Solomon Islands ★ Nauru ★ Kiribati ★ Tuvalu ★ Fiji	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of the Caribbean', ''13 February – 17 February 1983''
★ Jamaica ★ Cayman Islands	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Tour of North America', ''8 March – March 1983''
★ Canada ★ United States	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of South Asia and East Africa', ''9 November – 26 November 1983''
★ Cyprus ★ Kenya ★ Bangladesh ★ India	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
''25 March – 30 March 1984''
★ Cyprus ★ Jordan	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Canada'''24 September – 7 October 1984''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Princess Anne#HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'': Princess Margaret's last time on the council
'Portugal'''25 March – 29 March 1985''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Anne''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'': Prince Edward's first time on the council
'Commonwealth tour of the Caribbean', ''9 October – 3 November 1985''
★ Belize ★ Bahamas ★ Saint Kitts and Nevis ★ Antigua and Barbuda ★ Dominica ★ Saint Lucia ★ Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ★ Barbados ★ Grenada ★ Trinidad and Tobago	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Anne''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
''17 February – 13 March 1986''
★ Nepal ★ New Zealand ★ Australia	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Prince Andrew#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Anne''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Tour of East Asia', ''12 October – 23 October 1986''
★ China ★ Hong Kong	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Anne''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Canada'''9 October – 24 October 1987''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Australia'''19 April – 10 May 1988''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Australia'''17 October – 21 October 1988''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Barbados'''8 March – 11 March 1989''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of Southeast Asia', ''9 October – 21 October 1989''
★ Singapore ★ Malaysia	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of Australasia and Singapore', ''1 February – 17 February 1990''
★ Australia ★ 'New Zealand' ★ Singapore	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Tour of the North Atlantic', ''25 June – 1 July 1990''
★ Iceland ★ 'Canada'	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'United States'''14 May – 17 May 1991	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of Southern Africa', ''8 October – 19 October 1991''
★ Namibia ★ Zimbabwe	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Australia'''18 February – 25 February 1992''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Malta'''28 May – 30 May 1992''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'France'''9 June – 12 June 1992''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Canada'''30 June – 2 July 1992''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Germany'''19 October – 23 October 1992''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Hungary'''4 May – 7 May 1993''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Cyprus'''18 October – 24 October 1993''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of the Caribbean', ''18 February – 10 March 1994''
★ Anguilla ★ Dominica ★ Guyana ★ Belize ★ Cayman Islands ★ Jamaica ★ Bahamas ★ Bermuda	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Canada'''13 August – 22 August 1994''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Russia'''17 October – 20 October 1994''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'South Africa'''19 March – 25 March 1995''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'New Zealand'''30 October – 11 November 1995''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Tour of Eastern Europe', ''25 March – 29 March 1996''
★ Poland ★ Czech Republic	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Thailand'''28 October – 1 November 1996''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Canada'''23 June – 2 July 1997''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour on the Indian subcontinent', ''6 October – 18 October 1997''
★ Pakistan ★ India	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh ★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': '''Unknown''' ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour on the Indian subcontinent', ''17 September – 23 September 1998''
★ Brunei ★ Malaysia	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#''HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with his wife; The Princess Royal departed for Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Mauritius on the evening of 21 September ''Notes'':
'South Korea'''19 April – 22 April 1999''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Prince Edward#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Queen was accompanied by Prince Philip ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour of Africa', ''7 November – 15 November 1999''
★ Ghana ★ South Africa ★ Mozambique	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#''HRH The Duke of York''#''HRH The Earl of Wessex''#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the gulf until the evening of 11 November; The Earl of Wessex was in the USA until the evening of 10 November ''Notes'':
'Australia'''17 March – 1 April 2000''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#''HRH The Duke of York''#HRH The Earl of Wessex#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the Caribbean until the morning of 21 March ''Notes'':
★ 'Italy' ★ Holy See''16 October – 19 October 2000''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Earl of Wessex#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen ''Notes'':
'Norway'''30 May – 1 June 2001''	★ HM The Queen Mother#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH The Duke of York#HRH The Earl of Wessex#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen ''Notes'':
'Commonwealth tour', ''18 February – 3 March 2002''
★ Jamaica ★ New Zealand ★ Australia	★ HM The Queen Mother#''HRH The Prince of Wales''#''HRH The Duke of York''#HRH The Earl of Wessex#HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the Americas from 27 February; The Prince of Wales departed for Brazil and Mexico on the evening of 3 March ''Notes'': The Earl of Wessex and Princess Royal acted as Counsellors in facilitating the succession of the new ''High Commissioner for Brunei Darussalam'' on 21 February
'Canada'''4 October – 15 October 2002''	#HRH The Prince of Wales#''HRH The Earl of Wessex''#''HRH The Princess Royal''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of Southwest Asia; The Earl of Wessex was in Finland until the afternoon of 6 October, and The Princess Royal was in Ethiopia 7 October – 11 October ''Notes'': The Queen Mother was no longer able to serve on the council, due to her death on 30 March
'Nigeria'''3 December – 6 December 2003''	#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#HRH The Earl of Wessex''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was on a tour of the Middle East ''Notes'': Prince William's first appointment as counsellor
'France'''5 April – 7 April 2004''	#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#HRH The Duke of York''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Earl of Wessex was also (separately) in France ''Notes'':
'Germany'''2 November – 4 November 2004''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#''HRH The Duke of York''#''HRH The Earl of Wessex''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Earl and Countess of Wessex were in Poland; The Duke of York visited the United Arab Emirates on 3 November, for the funeral of the late President Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan ''Notes'':
'Canada'''17 May – 26 May 2005''	★ HRH The Duke of Edinburgh#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#''HRH The Duke of York''#HRH The Earl of Wessex''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was in France until 18 May, and departed for Azerbaijan on 25 May ''Notes'': The Earl's last time as a counsellor
'Malta'''23 November – 26 November 2005''	#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#HRH Prince Henry of Wales#HRH The Duke of York''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen ''Notes'': Prince Harry's first appointment as counsellor
''12 March – 18 March 2006''
★ Australia ★ Singapore	#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#HRH Prince Henry of Wales#HRH The Duke of York''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen ''Notes'':
'Tour of Baltic Europe', ''17 October – 20 October 2006''
★ Lithuania ★ Latvia ★ Estonia	#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#HRH Prince Henry of Wales#HRH The Duke of York''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen ''Notes'':
'United States'''3 May – 8 May 2007''	#HRH The Prince of Wales#HRH Prince William of Wales#HRH Prince Henry of Wales#''HRH The Duke of York''Absences within Council'': The Duke of Edinburgh was with the Queen; The Duke of York was in Canada until the morning of 6 May ''Notes'':

See also

★ List of state visits made by Queen Elizabeth II

★ List of Commonwealth visits made by Queen Elizabeth II

★ Regency Acts

★ British monarchy

★ Regent

References

1. When George VI died, Queen Elizabeth ceased to be queen consort, thus losing her position as Counsellor of State. However, the ''Regency Act 1953'' made a special exception, including Queen Elizabeth as a Counsellor of State.


★ Velde, François R. (2004). Regency Acts 1937 to 1953. Retrieved 2005.

★ Court Circular Archive

★ ''The London Gazette''