Prince William left to lean on Andrew and Beatrice as King Charles leaves UK

King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla left for Kenya on Monday, his first visit as monarch to a Commonwealth nation.

“The King and Queen (Camilla) are on their way to Kenya for a four-day visit which will take in the best of the country, from its young tech entrepreneurs and creatives to its beautiful forests and coastline,” Buckingham Palace said on X, formerly Twitter.

 In the absence of the monarch, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent,  to act in King Charles place.

The current Counsellors of State are Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and his daughter  Princess Beatrice.

While Queen Camilla is accompanying the king and Harry is living in the US with his family, only three royals, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice, are eligible to stand in for the king.  

Counsellors can carry out official duties which could include the state opening of Parliament, signing documents, receiving ambassadors or attending Privy Council meetings, if the monarch is temporarily ill or abroad.

Royal functions are to be exercised jointly by the counsellors of state or by such number of them as is specified in the letters patent under the Great Seal and subject to any other conditions within. However, there is a legal presumption that counsellors of state should act jointly and, as such, at least two are needed to act, with the absence of one possibly risking a legal challenge.