Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie 'could be a real asset' as King reconsiders slimmed-down monarchy
King Charles III may be considering offering his nieces Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie more involved royal roles as his 'slimmed-down' monarchy struggles under the weight of a difficult year.
"When the King was still the Prince of Wales [...] he made no secret of his plan to streamline the Firm," 9honey royal expert Dickie Arbiter wrote earlier this year.
"A slimmed down and cost-effective monarchy was, to his thinking, the way ahead."
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales greets Princess Beatrice of York with a kiss as they attend Royal Ascot 2022 at Ascot Racecourse on June 14, 2022 in Ascot, England.
But HIs Majesty may be forced to reconsider in the face of mounting pressure on a limited number of senior working royals to carry out all the engagements, tours, appearances and outings expected of the 'Firm'.
Queen Camilla had to step up her responsibilities when the King was out of action undergoing cancer treatment, and Prince William has been increasingly relying on his cousins to play supporting roles at his royal engagements while wife Catherine, the Princess of Wales continues with preventative chemotherapy.
Though His Majesty is now back at work, the last six months have shown that his vision of a slimmed-down monarchy may not be as practical as he'd hoped.
He may soon look to the next generation of royals to pick up additional duties and support the upper ranks, especially with Catherine - one of the brightest jewels in the royal crown - still out of action.
Royal experts have posited that the King may offer nieces Beatrice and Eugenie more senior positions in the months ahead, as they've already proven their dedication and usefulness supporting William at recent events.
Beatrice and Eugenie have already proven their dedication and usefulness supporting William at recent events.
"Charles is fond of his nieces. He thinks they have grown into very sensible women who could be a real asset," a source close to the King told Katie Nicholl for a new Vanity Fair cover story.
They claimed adding Beatrice and Eugenie to the working ranks is "being considered", while another palace insider suggested the monarchy may be ready to "adjust" its slimmed-down approach.
"The royal family has always shown a propensity for learning from past experience and adjusting," the second insider told Nicholl.
"It's one of the great chameleon organizations of the world in that sense, and I think therefore there will be someone saying, 'Let's reassess this slimmed-down monarchy.'"
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice may offered bigger roles in the monarchy's future.
The notion of a slimmed-down monarchy has been questioned before, both prior to and after the King's coronation on May 6, 2023.
In a rare pre-coronation interview, Princess Anne made it clear that it's not the approach she would take, confessing that "it doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing".
"I think 'slimmed down' was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment," she explained.
These days, fewer blood-royals take titles and serve as working members of the monarchy, with many opting to pursue careers outside the royal family (Beatrice, Eugenie, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, to name a few).
These days, fewer blood-royals take titles and serve as working members of the monarchy, including Zara Tindall.
While they do make some appearances, their roles are limited and most of the heavy lifting is left to the upper echelon of the monarchy - but the handful of senior working royals around the King are aging fast.
Most of the seven senior royals currently active are in their 60s or 70s: His Majesty is 75, as is Queen Camila; the Prince and Princess of Wales are both 42; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are 60 and 59 respectively; the Princess Royal is 73.
Meanwhile, the four 'junior' working royals under them are all in their 70s or 80s and Arbiter says, "at a glance it is an aging institution, and the current optics could be said to 'be of concern'".
The clearest solution, of course, is to bring in new talent and Beatrice and Eugenie may just fit the bill.
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