King Charles III wants to change rules so that only working royals can be counsellors of state. Photo / AP
Prince Harry could be even further frozen out of the royal family if King Charles gets his way to change rules on who can stand in for him.
Under current law, if the monarch is unable to carry out duties because of illness or overseas travel, two counsellors of state are appointed to undertake their work.
They are selected from the monarch's spouse and the next four adults in line to the throne.
This means that currently, Charles' counsellors of state are his wife, the Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice.
But Charles is said to want to change the rules so only working royals can be counsellors of state, knocking Harry, Andrew and Beatrice out of the pecking order.
It's part of the new sovereign's plans to "slim down" the royal family and could see Princess Anne and Prince Edward made counsellors of state, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Charles would need the British Parliament to amend the 1937 Regency Act to push the changes through.
And the law could be rewritten altogether if Charles wants Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is not in the line of succession, to become one of the counsellors.
Counsellors of state are rarely called upon but were in recent months as the Queen's health deteriorated.
Charles and William attended the State Opening of Parliament last year in place of the Queen.
Her Majesty requested Parliament change the Regency Act in 1953 to ensure Prince Philip could act as Regent - a temporary stand-in as monarch - if one of their children became King or Queen before they were 18.
The move is likely to further strain the relationship between Charles and Harry.
They have rarely spoken since the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, quit as working royals.
But the frosty relationship between Harry and his family appeared to thaw last week, when the Sussexes joined the Prince and Princess of Wales to meet wellwishers outside Windsor Castle.
Harry was also allowed to wear his military uniform for a vigil over the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall, alongside the Queen's seven other grandchildren.
But it has since emerged that he was barred from wearing Her Majesty's initials - ER - on his shoulder, whereas Prince Andrew was allowed to despite no longer being a working royal.
Harry was so "devastated" by the ban on wearing the ER initials on his shoulder that he considered ditching the military garb altogether for a simple morning suit, the Sunday Times reported.
The initials are only to be worn by people "in service" of the monarch.
A friend told the newspaper: "He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmother's initials feels very intentional."
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