King Charles III and Queen Camilla are at Balmoral until after September 8. This week other members of the Royal Family are heading to Scotland to spend time together. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands and children are already at the castle. The Prince and Princess of Wales will arrive by the weekend.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal and her family will also be at Balmoral in the coming weeks.
On October 19, Russell Myers, the Mirror's Royal Correspondent wrote: "The King will tell the Prince and Princess of Wales of his intention to carve out precise roles for them as well as himself and Queen Camilla." The focus will be on the Commonwealth.
A source told Myers: “His Majesty is very clear. The Commonwealth must be at the very heart of his reign. He sees it as his utmost duty to fulfill the sincere wish of his late mother, that one of his central roles must be to ensure not only the survival but the robustness (of the organization).”
The King will lay out plans for the next year. He wants to highlight the Princess of Wales' "star quality."
Tours, which take months to plan, will be announced later this year. One can assume that the first tours will be to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will continue to carry out engagements.
But what about the bread-and-butter engagements in the United Kingdom, which have included visiting local communities and supporting local organizations? This does not mean unveiling plaques every other week, but members of the Royal Family need to be seen outside London more often, not just a quick visit here or there.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will be at the forefront of the King's plan. William is the next in line and will have a much shorter apprenticeship than his father.
There are now eleven working royals: the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy. The latter two royals are now in their late eighties. The duke will celebrate his 88th birthday in October. Alexandra will turn eighty-seven on Christmas Day.
The Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra continue to carry out a limited number of engagements, although both are in poor health. They are conscious of their duty to the Crown, but their retirement as working royals is inevitable.
Why not replace them with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie? In the late 1990s, the Way Ahead group, which included senior royals and advisers, devised a plan to slim down the royal family. One of the ideas that received approval was that the York princesses would not become working royals. The two princesses have their own patronages, but they are not included in the Royal Family's patronages database and they do not have their own pages on the Royal Family's official website.
Princess Beatrice is one of the Counsellors of State, replacing Charles when he succeeded to the throne. It is a position in name only as the King supported legislation that added the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal to the Counsellors of State (for their lifetimes). Because of this legislation, Beatrice won't be asked to serve as a Counsellor.
In 2012, Beatrice accompanied the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to York for the annual Maundy Thursday service. Princess Eugenie accompanied her grandmother to the Maundy Thursday service at St. George's Chapel in 2019.
In 2013, the British Government sent the two Princesses to Berlin and Hanover for the GREAT initiative promoting the UK abroad.
The two princesses have attended numerous state events, such as Thanksgiving services and Queen Elizabeth's funeral, but have not been invited to gala events such as a State Dinner.
For several years, the two princesses rode in a carriage during the Trooping the Colour and appeared on the balcony with other members of the Royal Family. The last time they took part in the Trooping was in 2019.
https://www.royal.uk/charities-and-patronages?mrf=2&page=7
[The Way Ahead group had also advocated for removing the Princesses' royal titles and having them styled as daughters of a duke. This idea was shelved but implemented in 1999 when Prince Edward married. His children, according to the official announcement released the morning of his marriage, included this statement: The Queen has also decided, with the agreement of The Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children they might have should not be given the style of His or Her Royal Highness, but will have courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an Earl."]
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to head west across the Pond to find fame and fortune left a void in the royal ranks. As the heir to the throne, William's plate will be filled with more patronages. In the not-so-distant future, some of the late Queen Elizabeth II's patronages will be passed to working members of the Royal Family. Elizabeth II was patron of nearly six hundred organizations, many of which were inherited from her father, King George VI. It is unlikely that all the patronages will pass to the King and other members of the Royal Family.
Had Harry and Meghan remained as working royals, they too would be adding to their patronage portfolios. After his father became king, Harry's role would have increased, but always as a support to his father and older brother. He and Meghan would have continued to focus on diverse issues.
Harry may have been the King's first appointment to the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Harry and Meghan would have retained their 24-hour security as senior working royals. The Sovereign Grant would have covered their working expenses following the king's accession.
It would be a good move for Beatrice and Eugenie to become part-time working royals, doing 5-10 engagements per month. Most working royals have police protection only when they are carrying out engagements. The PPOs protecting the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra could be reassigned to the York Princesses.
The Princesses could share a private secretary and a small office with Buckingham Palace staff. The Sovereign Grant would cover the costs. I cannot crunch numbers but the expenses would be far less than for a full-time working royal.
Their engagements would be based in the United Kingdom, and they would not undertake foreign engagements.
Beatrice and her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi have two homes, an apartment in St. James's Palace and a £3.5 million farmhouse in the Cotswolds, which they bought in 2022. They pay fair market value rent for the St. James's Palace apartment, which Beatrice shared with Princess Eugenie before they both married.
Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their two sons, August, and Ernest, live in Ivy Cottage on the Kensington Palace. Jack works in marketing, sales, and promotion for the Costa Terra Golf and Ocean Club in Comporta.
The two princesses often stay with their parents, the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.
Both princesses have jobs. Since 2016, Princess Beatrice has been the Vice President, Partnerships & Strategy at Afiniti, a software company, where Prince Harry's childhood friend, Thomas "Skippy" Inskip, is the Chief Commercial Officer.
[The link for Beatrice's page on Afiniti's website no longer works.]
Princess Eugenie is an Associate Director at Hauser & Wirth, a Swiss contemporary art gallery. She is based at their London gallery. She is also the co-founder with Julia de Boinville of the Anti-Slavery Collective.
The two Princesses would be delighted to step in and take on several official engagements each month. This will help the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will continue their work; the presence of two younger Princesses of the Blood can help to relieve the burden of an increasing number of royal engagements.
They will have a seamless entry into royal duties if given the opportunity by the King because Beatrice and Eugenie know the ropes.
If his daughters become working royals, the Duke of York will remain an out-of-sight, out-of-mind pariah. He won't be able to tag along. And that's how it should be.
16 comments:
I think you are right in your thoughts. The Kents and Gloucesters are not getting any younger. As their father, the Duke of York as said in the past they are the only Royal blood princess of their generation. The role and work of the Royal family continue in their availability to be seen, as the late Queen would attest. Both Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are very capable of taking on more of the bread and butter roles and activities that the Royal family undertake. Of course they should be compensated if they take on more responsibilities.
Royals do not receive a salary for their duties. But the expenses are covered - staff salaries. etc
I'm an American with no skin in this game. While I agree that these two would make the most sense in 'replacing' some of the older royals, I am not sure I agree that "The Duke of York will remain an out-of-sight, out-of-mind pariah even if his daughters become working royals. " Everytime I see B and E I think of Prince Andrew, and not in a good way.
I agree with you 100%. I hope the King sees the need too. The Wales' have young children and have it clear they are eager to do their duty and serve but they have also made it clear they want to be hands-on parents too. I realize it will be a difficult balance to achieve but I think with the addition of the York princesses it would greatly help. Both young women are skilled at public interactions, always appear gracious and engaging, as well as charming and intelligent. I really hope someone steps and points out that the original plans were made counting on William and Harry as well as their future wives. Harry and his wife are now out so the original plans need to--must--be revised. Another issue to be addressed as well is the retirement of the Gloucesters in the not too distant future.
Janet
I completely agree with your assessment of the situation. Neither princess needs to receive an appanage since they have their own incomes. Covering the expenses of whatever event they are attending so that they can do the work would be more than adequate. King Charles wants to "streamline the monarchy", but there is such a thing as cutting personnel so much that you can't do the job properly. I hope someone is suggesting this to him because it's a great solution.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter. And....who knows, maybe someday many days down the road, you may think the Lady Louise will also be an asset for part time working Royals.
Blue No one gets an appanage. None of the royals get a salary or are paid for their duties. They are serving the Crown
I have always believed that the decision to cut the York princesses from royal duties was short sighted, even before the defection of the Sussexes and the disgrace of the DoY. Clearly as each generation ages out of working you need to replace them. The Queen had 4 children she could call on to represent her, Charles only had two, clearly they were going to need someone to fill in the gaps and open the random hospital wings and charity houses that are all very important to show a royal face for PR and fundraising purposes. If they don't have the manpower then they have to downsize and then they run the risk of becoming irrelevant.
I could not agree more that HM needs to see reality in the new era of the abdication of the Sussex's from royal duties . These two princesses have forged their own career's and lives , whilst also bringing much needed publicity for the causes they support at no cost to the taxpayer. They have proved
both discreet and conscientious in this very important part of the royal families work . HM needs to wisely use this resource .
Interesting News.
Greetings to Harper and Fleur.
Andrea
I've thought this was a good idea since Harry and Megan made their exit. Not only has Harry decamped since Charles' Way Forward was formulated, but Andrew, unwillingly, as well. Back then the York sisters were unknown quantities, so Charles was wise not to commit to working royal roles for them at that time. Surely he and his advisors wanted to be certain they would not follow in their parents' footsteps of unwise choices as adults. Now they have proven their ability to work at meaningful jobs and appear on the periphery of royal life without embarrassing the monarchy. And then there is the reality nobody wants to think about: if, God forbid, the Wales family were not available to succeed Charles, Harry and Andrew are the next in line. Everybody hopes they would have the grace and wisdom to step aside, and that would leave Beatrice and Eugenie next in line. It would be wise to bring them onto the main stage to get some experience now.
I am totally in agreement and would love to see this happen. There's already discussion in the media in the UK about the patronages of Her Late Majesty and Prince Philip and who will be able to carry them out. I would also love to see Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex in the royal "pool" for events, certainly while also working in their chosen fields. I know she's further down the line but Zara Tindall is another fine ambassador for the UK who has made a successful career for herself.
Louise and James are not treated as royal. Zara is not royal and takes her rank from her father. None will inherit patronages because these are limited to members of the royal family. That said, a good percentage of patronages will not have a royal patron.
You mention about Harry, if he was still a working royal. He would have been the first to receive the Order of the Garter.. Looks like maybe the Princess of Wales might be the first..
I am supportive of the York princesses in becoming part time or full time royals... Though I am old fashion and would love to see British Earldoms conferred to both husbands... and at least Beatrice Husband's Italian titles acknowledged..
Dear Blessie
There is no absolute precedence for husbands of Princesses to receive peerages. Philip was the husband of the heir to the throne. Tony Armstrong-Jones turned it down before the wedding but changed his mind shortly before David was born. Angus turned down an earldom. Mark was not offered a peerage before the wedding - he acknowledged this in the pre-wedding interview. Years later, Angus said he regretted turning down an earldom because it set a precedence for Mark not being offered one - and he thought Anne's children should have been styled as children of an earl. Edo is a British citizen (as is his father, the latter by naturalization). Since the 1930s, British citizens with foreign titles cannot use the titles in the UK. Also, the titles cannot be used in Italy which does not recognize titles. It is unlikely that hereditary peerages will no longer be created for male members of the Royal family, that the peerages will be for life. Beatrice and Eugenie's children will grow up away from royal life.
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