PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES WELCOMED BY CROWDS NOT SEEN ‘SINCE CORONATION’
The Prince and Princess of Wales were welcomed by a cheering crowd not seen since the coronation, despite biblical rainfall in Powys on Thursday.
One royal insider has claimed members of the public lined the streets in the wet conditions to cheer on the future King and Queen, with enthusiasm not experienced since May 2023.
The royals received warm support from locals in the Welsh town of Llanidloes, despite continued fallout from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
Although concerned, Prince William and Catherine have attempted to distance themselves from the scandal rocking the Royal Household and continuing with their “unchanged” public duties.
William and Catherine attracted crowds not seen since 2023 this week
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The walkabout was unscheduled, and took place after the royal couple had travelled to The Hanging Gardens, a community hub focused on resilience and creativity.
Seeing the drenched crowd of well wishers and school children, William and Catherine ordered their car to stop – taking part in an unscheduled walkabout for a reported 25 minutes.
Due to the spontaneity of the gesture, crash barriers had not been erected, so the prince and princess mingled closely with the crowds.
One group of school children caught Prince William’s attention by waving an Aston Villa FC scarf, a football team he has supported since he was a child.
“That’s a great way to get my attention,” he told them.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were visiting Powys on Thursday to celebrate community ahead of St David’s Day.
The county has the highest number of volunteers per capita in the United Kingdom.
WHY THE KING IS POWERLESS TO REMOVE ANDREW AS COUNSELLOR OF STATE
King Charles will not find it straightforward if he wishes to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as Counsellor of State
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There has been reports in recent days suggesting King Charles is being overly cautious, not removing his brother as a Counsellor of State.
However, removing his brother from the role isn’t that straightforward.
Counsellors of State are called upon to deputise on behalf of the monarch, if they are abroad, become ill or are incapacitated.
Currently, the Counsellors of State are: Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Princess Beatrice, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Two are required to deputise in the King’s absence, and would be given the extra powers via a Letters Patent.
Following Andrew’s arrest, there have been calls to remove him from the line of succession, but now the spotlight is turning on his continued position as a Counsellor of State.
The King does not have the power to remove someone as a Counsellor of State; only an Act of Parliament can do this.
Therefore, politicians are required to vote through legislation in the Houses of Parliament before the King gives Royal Assent.
The British Government has already indicated that they will consider removing Andrew from the line of succession, but only after police investigations into him have finished.
I suspect the government will also look into Andrew’s Counsellor of State role too, when the time comes.
In any case, it is highly unlikely Andrew would ever be called upon to deputise for his brother.
This is because there are six other members of the Royal Family available to deputise, four of which remain working members of the institution.
King Charles does not have power to remove Andrew as a Counsellor of State
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The plentitude of working royals means King Charles will likely not be put in a position where he has to call on Andrew to carry out official state duties.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation after his arrest last week for alleged misconduct in public office.
He has not been charged with an offence, and has always strongly denied wrongdoing.
DID THE KING KNOW ABOUT PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN’S TRIP TO JORDAN?
This week, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a two-day visit to Jordan, travelling with a World Health Organisation delegation.
Prince Harry and Meghan wanted to focus on the humanitarian health response to conflict in the Middle East, mental health and support for displaced and vulnerable communities – refusing to be drawn on Andrew-shaped problems in the UK.
After donating $500,000 to the Who last year, the director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, invited them to visit to country.
I understand they were not representing the United Kingdom, with aides describing the trip as a “humanitarian visit” in support of front line partners of the WHO – including World Central Kitchen, which provides fresh meals in response to crises.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were invited to Jordan by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of Who
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However, The duke and duchess visited the British Ambassador’s residence for Iftar (the meal eaten after sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan), joining embassy staff and World Health Organisation officials on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, The King held a private Audience with the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper MP at Buckingham Palace.
It is unclear what was discussed, but the Royal Household was informed of the international trip in advance out of courtesy.
Meanwhile, I understand the government was not involved in arranging of facilitating any elements of Prince Harry and Meghan’s programme.
In fact, The duke and duchess were invited to Jordan by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom.
The British Embassy hosted the Ramadan event for Dr Ghebreyesus, who in turn invited The Duke and Duchess of Sussex as his guests.
Harry and Meghan were, therefore, not official guests of the UK Ambassador to Jordan, Philip Hall OBE.
The British Government has sought to distance itself from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s recent visit to Jordan | PA
Towards the end of the visit, Prince Harry called for food and medical aid corridors to be opened to help people in Gaza – a move, sources insist, has a “humanitarian” motive.
Hundreds of thousands of people face extreme hunger and famine in Gaza, according to the British Red Cross.
After Hamas’ brutal terror attack on Jewish Israeli citizens on October 7th 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s charity funded relief efforts to support children and families in Israel.