Counsellor Of State
In the United Kingdom, Counsellors of State are senior members of the British royal family to whom the Monarch, currently Elizabeth II, delegates certain state functions and powers when she is in another Commonwealth realm, abroad or unavailable for other reasons (such as short-term incapacity or sickness). Any two Counsellors of State may preside over Privy Council meetings, sign state documents or receive the credentials of new ambassadors to the United Kingdom.
While the establishment of a Regency carries with it the suspension of the monarch from the personal discharge of the royal functions, when Counsellors of State are appointed, both the Sovereign and the Counsellors can—the Counsellors within the limits of their delegation of authority—discharge the royal functions; so the monarch can give instructions to the Counsellors of State, or even personally discharge a certain royal prerogative, when the Counsellors are in place. The Counsellors of State and Regents always act in the name and on behalf of the Sovereign.
Read more about Counsellor Of State: History, Current Counsellors of State, List of Counsellors of State
Famous quotes containing the word state:
“The stars which shone over Babylon and the stable in Bethlehem still shine as brightly over the Empire State Building and your front yard today. They perform their cycles with the same mathematical precision, and they will continue to affect each thing on earth, including man, as long as the earth exists.”
—Linda Goodman (b. 1929)