The King has personally asked parliament to add his siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, to the list of people who can deputise for him for official duties.
In a statement signed by the King and read to the House of Lords, he says he would be “most content” if his sister and brother could become Counsellors of State.
There are currently five Counsellors of State, including Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, both of whom no longer carry out official royal duties.
The King writes the changes would “ensure continued efficiency of public business, when I’m unavailable. Such as while I’m undertaking official duties overseas.”
Counsellors can carry out constitutional duties if the monarch is ill or working abroad.
In order for Princess Anne and Prince Edward to become Counsellors of State, there would need to be a legislative change to amend the Regency Act.
Under the Act, Counsellor of State are the monarch’s spouse, and the four next in the line of succession, aged over 21.
Some will see this as a further snub to Prince Andrew, for whom Counsellor of State is one of the remaining responsibilities he has, after being stripped of his royal roles.
On the other hand, this is the King making a practical change as he prepares for overseas trips next year.
Recently in the House of Lords, the Labour peer Viscount Stansgate argued against having Prince Andrew and Prince Harry as Counsellors when one had “left public life” and one had “left the country”.
The news came on the King’s birthday– his first as monarch – and on the day of his 74th, it was also announced he would be taking on the role of The Ranger of Windsor Great Park, a post previously held by his father, Prince Philip.
The Royal Liverpool University Hospital has declared a critical incident due to “exceptionally high” demand on A&E and patients being admitted to wards.
The hospital said there had been a spike in people with flu and respiratory illnesses going to emergency departments in recent weeks.
A spokesperson for the hospital said it had a “comprehensive plan in place” and was “taking all the necessary actions to manage the challenging circumstances”.
“We are working with partner organisations to ensure those that are medically fit can leave hospital safely and at the earliest opportunity,” they added.
The hospital warned some people would experience delays as it prioritises the sickest patients.
People whose case isn’t an emergency are being asked to see their GP, pharmacy or walk-in centre – or call the 111 service for advice.
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The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is in the city centre and is the biggest hospital in Merseyside and Cheshire.
Declaring a critical incident can happen when a hospital is experiencing exceptional demand, or sometimes if there is a serious problem with staffing levels.
It indicates it can’t function as normal and allows it to take extra measures to protect patients, such as prioritising the most unwell people and getting support from other agencies.
It could last hours, a few days, or weeks if necessary.
A critical incident was also declared on Friday by the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.
It said it had seen almost four times as many inpatients compared with last year and urged people with flu to avoid going to A&E.
Zendaya and Tom Holland are rumoured to be engaged after the 28-year-old actress appeared at the Golden Globes wearing a massive diamond ring on her left ring finger.
They met after working together on 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and confirmed their relationship in 2021.
Sky News has contacted representatives for Zendaya and Holland for comment.
Zendaya chatted to journalists on the Globes red carpet, where she was nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy for her role in the romantic sports drama Challengers.
Despite being pipped to the prize by Demi Moore, who won for her role in body horror The Substance, there was plenty of buzz around Zendaya’s large diamond ring, which was clearly visible throughout the show.
A Los Angeles Times reporter appeared to ask Zendaya about it, holding up her own engagement ring and pointing to it. Zendaya responded by showing her left-hand ring.
The reporter then asked if the actor was engaged and “she kept showing her ring, smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders mysteriously”.
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Holland, who is also 28, wasn’t at Sunday’s Globes.
Zendaya wore an orange Louis Vuitton ball gown, and diamond jewellery from Bulgari – for which she’s an ambassador – on the Globes red carpet.
But while the Dune star’s other jewellery items were listed in a press release, there was no mention of the ring on her left finger.
Zendaya, who rose to fame after her breakout role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, became a household star after starring in Euphoria.
Tom Holland, who is the son of British actor/comedian Dominic Holland, won a role in Billy Elliot The Musical as a child, and has gone on to achieve global fame playing Spider-Man in six Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.