King Charles has formally approved the removal of two former
politicians from the Privy Council after both requested their names
be taken from one of Britain’s oldest constitutional bodies.
Official Orders made “At the Court at Buckingham Palace” on 8
July confirm that Craig Williams and Jeffrey Donaldson have each
been removed from the list of Members of His Majesty’s Most
Honourable Privy Council.
The Orders state that both men wrote requesting their removal
before The King, acting on the advice of the Privy Council,
approved the changes.
Craig Williams submitted his request in a letter dated 30 June,
while Sir Jeffrey Donaldson wrote to the Privy Council on 24
June.
The Privy Council is one of the oldest parts of the British
constitution, serving as a formal advisory body to the Sovereign.
Although most of its day-to-day work is carried out by ministers,
membership is considered a significant constitutional honour and is
usually held for life. Removal is relatively uncommon, with members
either asking to resign or, in exceptional circumstances, being
removed.
Williams, the former Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, was
appointed to the Privy Council in 2023 while serving in Rishi
Sunak’s government. He later became embroiled in the 2024 election
betting scandal after placing a wager on the timing of the general
election before it was publicly announced. He lost his
parliamentary seat at the subsequent election.
Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist
Party, tendered his resignation from the Privy Council shortly
after being convicted of historic child sexual offences. His
solicitor confirmed at the time that Donaldson had also requested
to renounce his knighthood.
The two Orders, signed by Richard Tilbrook CVO, Clerk of the
Privy Council, state that The King, “by and with the advice of His
Majesty’s Privy Council”, ordered that both men’s names be removed
from the membership list.
While the Sovereign formally approves such Orders, the
constitutional convention is that these decisions are made on
ministerial or Privy Council advice rather than at the personal
discretion of the monarch.
