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The website claimed the Regency Act has “long needed updating” and added “never has the matter become so pressing”. This follows the news that the Duke of Sussex, 36, will release an “explosive” memoir detailing the “highs and lows” of being a member of the Royal Family.
Prince Harry’s book will be published by Penguin House and he is said to have been working with the Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter John Joseph Moehringer.
His publishers said: “In an intimate and heartfelt memoir from one of the most fascinating and influential global figures of our time, Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him.”
But the announcement has reportedly sent shockwaves around Buckingham Palace, with some sources even suggesting that he did not warn the Prince of Wales about his $20million book deal.
In a statement, Prince Harry said: “I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become”.
Royal Central, the world’s leading news site reporting on the British Royals, added: “Ignoring all the hot air and drama Prince Harry has a habit of creating, there are important constitutional matters that need addressing sooner rather than later”.
It continued by highlighting the two ways someone else can rule Britain on behalf of the monarch.
The first follows the monarch being deemed unable to rule. This was most infamously enacted during the early nineteenth century when George III was declared incapable of ruling because of his mental capacity in 1811. As such his son, George Prince Regent, ruled on behalf of George III until he died in 1820.
In this situation, the Crown would be passed down to Prince Charles.
READ MORE: Prince Harry to publish memoir to ‘share what I’ve learned’
The 1937 Regency Act, introduced over concerns that Elizabeth was heir presumptive when she was just ten years old, currently sets out the provisions for a would-be Regent.
Section 1 tackles what to do if the monarch is younger than 18.
Subsection 1 reads: “If the Sovereign is, at His Accession, under the age of eighteen years, then, until He attains that age, the royal functions shall be performed in the name and on behalf of the Sovereign by a Regent.”
The Act defines the Regent as the next person in the line of succession who is over the age of 21, capable of succeeding to the Crown under the Act of Settlement from 1701 and importantly a “British subject who is domiciled in some part of the United Kingdom”.
Throughout British history, there have been fears that the monarch will succeed to the throne before their 18th birthday. These fears were narrowly missed in 1837 when Victoria became Queen. She ascended to the throne on June 20 1837, just 27 days after she turned 18.
Nonetheless, the last time a monarch became King or Queen before they entered adulthood was almost 500 years ago when Edward VI, just nine years old, succeeded his father Henry VIII. During his six-year reign, the ‘Boy King’ had two Regents. The Duke of Somerset, Edward’s eldest uncle, was Protector until 1549 when he was overthrown and later executed. He was subsequently replaced by the Duke of Northumberland until Edward’s death in 1553.
Royal Central warned that as it stands, “should Prince George find himself on the throne before the end of July 2034”, then Prince Harry would find himself as Regent.
The website said they “expect an amendment” to the 1937 Act because of Harry’s decision to flee stateside.
“Now that the Duke of Sussex has cut ties with his family, he cannot fulfil these most important constitutional roles”, they added.
The piece ended by considering “whether Harry’s announcement is an attempt to supersede an imminent statement from Buckingham Palace”.
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