Prince William is expected to introduce the first new working royals in a generation, according to a commentator who anticipates a surprise promotion for two lesser-known family members.
However, the 42-year-old Prince of Wales is predicted to clash with his aunt, Princess Anne, over her future role within the monarchy.
The plans for William’s succession have accelerated following King Charles‘s cancer diagnosis, which has focused attention at both Buckingham and Kensington palaces.
Keen to prevent a disorderly transition, William already has strategies for how he envisions the monarchy functioning to secure its future, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
This could spell trouble for Princess Anne, 74, who has established herself as the ‘hardest-working royal’, attending hundreds of events annually. However, a royal expert suggests that this is not an approach William will want to continue.
Tom Skyes, the royal editor of The Daily Beast, stated that Anne’s “raison d’etre is zooming around the country squeezing in 500-plus engagements a year”.
He added: “William has made it very clear he doesn’t see that as the family’s role anymore, preferring a tiny number of limited, high-impact engagements and events to the paternalistic, seen-to-be-believed, helicopter-riding royal attitude of old.”
While Anne might find her royal role diminishing, much hinges on the timeline to Prince William’s ascension to the throne. According to Sykes, although the Duke of Edinburgh and his wife Princess Sophie, 59, are “neither great friends nor enemies” of the King, they have “have successfully won the trust and affection of William and Kate and they are likely to be rewarded with a promotion when William’s reign begins”.
Sykes also suggests that this could extend to their children, Viscount James and Lady Louise, who have generally stayed out of the spotlight, appearing mostly at events alongside their parents.
Lady Louise, 20, an equestrian enthusiast, served as a bridesmaid in William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011 and has been seen at high-profile occasions such as Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and the King’s Coronation. Her brother, James, now Earl of Wessex at age 16, was the sole young royal present at the Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle this year, similarly attending only significant events with his family.
Both siblings have had Canadian lakes named in their honour.
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