Further to my musings as to whether or not Prince Charles may become Prince Regent this year; the following appeared on the AOL news feed prior to the State Opening of Parliament when Prince Charles stood in for the Queen. This was the first time she had missed the State Opening in nearly 60 years. The new Zodiacal Releasing period for the Queen actually startes on the 12^th May 2022.

From AOL.COM: Charles ‘teetering on edge of becoming a de facto prince regent’ – royal expert.   Laura Elston.    9 May 2022, 8:55 pm

The Prince of Wales is “teetering on the edge of becoming a de facto prince regent”, with Buckingham Palace keen to show the monarchy is “safe in the hands of father and son”, a royal expert has said.  Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said the opening of Parliament by both Charles and the Duke of Cambridge, with the prince reading the Queen’s speech, was a “significant moment for two future kings”.

The Queen has delegated certain powers as head of state to both her son and heir Charles and second-in-line William as Counsellors of State to open Parliament on her behalf on Tuesday in an unprecedented move. . .   

“With the Queen progressively withdrawing from public life, the palace is keen to show the monarchy is safe in the hands of father and son.”

Constitutional expert Dr Bob Morris, of UCL’s Constitution Unit, said it was “more likely than not” that the arrangements would continue for future state openings, meaning the Queen, who is now 96 and facing “episodic mobility problems”, may not ever open Parliament again.

Dr Morris said: “It is unprecedented and it’s the way in which the constitution flexes to accommodate unusual circumstances.  “I can’t think of any possible earlier version of this.”

He added: “They’ve gone down the Counsellor of State route, that’s one way round it. The Prince of Wales is giving the speech and William is there as his stay and support as it were. It’s a rather odd confection but it works.”

In the event that the Queen cannot undertake her official duties as sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent to act in her place.  . .

. . . The Queen is empowered to appoint the Counsellors under the Regency Acts 1937-53.  The delegation of powers to Counsellors of State is made by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm, and the Queen will sign the document. The last time Counsellors of State were needed was in 2015 when the Queen was away on an official visit to Malta.

Counsellors of State allow for a temporary delegation of duties.  But there are certain core constitutional functions, that unless there is a regency, cannot be delegated, such as giving Royal Assent to legislation, appointing a prime minister, the weekly meetings with the PM and appointing and dismissing governor-generals. A regency would be when the Queen transferred her powers as monarch to Charles without having to abdicate.

The Regency Act 1937 states that the monarch’s duties will be performed by a regent if the monarch is declared to be “by reason of infirmity of mind or body” incapable of performing royal functions, or if there is “evidence that the Sovereign is for some definite cause not available for the performance of those functions”. This must be declared in writing by three or more out of the sovereign’s wife or husband, the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls.  The Queen is currently still carrying out duties from Windsor, and is due to have her weekly audience with the PM on Wednesday and hold a Privy Council this week.

I was not aware of the role of Counsellor of State which was first created in 1911. I could not find the date for this particular statute. In 1937 the Here is a chart set for the time of the Queen’s Speech delivered by Prince Charles. was established 19^th March 1937. This Act repealed previous Acts.

Here is a chart set for the time of the Queen’s Speech delivered by Prince Charles.

The only thing of note is the conjunction of the Moon within 1 degree orb of Prince Charles Saturn signifying duty from Mother. It will be interesting to see if once the actual Platinum Jubilee celebrations are over, whether or not the Queen does use this Regency Act to delegate more powers to Prince Charles around the time of the Summer Solstice.