Who is included in new 'slimmed-down monarchy' as five royals set to lose titles
Ever since taking to the throne in 2022, much has been said about King Charles III's supposed hopes to forge a more 'slimmed down monarchy' than his mother had previously fronted.
Experts and commentators predicted that the 76-year-old would focus his attention on a number of senior working royals, as opposed to further removed individuals.
Shortly after his ascension, however, and the King announced he'd been diagnosed with cancer, and as such, he was forced to rely on fellow Royal Family members, including son and daughter-in-law Prince William and Kate Middleton, sister Princess Anne, and brother Prince Edward.
Since then, onlookers have turned their attention towards William's plans for the future, believing he'll be even stricter about who he hands royal responsibility to in the coming years.
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"Prince William, like his father, has always favoured slim-down monarchy as the future, and what that looks like being now is just William and Catherine and their children," podcast host Richard Eden explained on his Palace Confidential show earlier this year.
India Hicks, daughter of Queen Elizabeth's former lady-in-waiting Lady Pamela Hicks, also agreed on her behalf, telling Marie Claire that retaining a 'core' group of royals will be an ideal situation for the Prince of Wales.
"She thinks that it is modernising in a way that it should, and she absolutely believes in the thinning down of the Royal Family and making it this core hardworking foursome," she explained, referring to the King, Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
It isn't just that the 44-year-old will hand duties to a small number of fellow royals, however, with expert Tom Sykes predicting he'll even go as far as to strip titles from a number of less-important members of his family.
First in the firing line is reportedly his uncle, Prince Andrew, who surrendered his 'Duke of York' title earlier this month following new revelations about his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He did, however, retain his dukedom and status as a prince - something William reportedly has plans to remove.
"Prince William will strip Prince Andrew, along with all other non-working royals, of their HRHs and princely titles when he ascends to the throne, friends and allies of the Prince have [said]," Sykes said.
"The dramatic change will be effected by an executive royal order known as 'letters patent' ratified by Parliament in the early weeks of the reign of King William V."
Andrew's recent disgrace also transferred onto William's auntie, Sarah Ferguson, who also lost her Duchess title after a supposed email from the mother-of-two to Epstein in 2011 was published, where she reportedly described him as a 'supreme friend'.
As such, William is not expected to rely on the former Yorks for support in the years to come.
Despite Sykes also predicting this to be the case for his cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie given that they're not working royals right now, Eden believes William will have to rely on the sisterly pair, even as part of his 'slimmed down' monarchy.
"From what I'm hearing is that Prince William is starting to see the value of his cousins and what, in the long term, they could give," he explained.
"They're doing more and more. They're private duties really, in terms of charity work, but I think Prince William and his father are noticing this and appreciating it."
Apparently, as long as he'll be able to, the future King also has plans to rely on his aunt, Princess Anne - also known as the 'hardest working royal'.
This said, however, the Princess Royal previously hit back at the idea of a tighter-knit monarchy in general, telling CBC: "Well, I think the 'slimmed-down' was said in a day when there were a few more people around.
"It doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing, I would say. I'm not quite sure what else we can do."
On top of Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, it's thought that William is also set to turn his back on several other royals, one of whom is his own brother.
That's right, according to Sykes, the father-of-three is set to formally revoke the dukedoms and HRHs of Prince Harry, as well as his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
This is said to be down to the Sussexes' estrangement from the wider monarchy. He and Meghan Markle surrendered their royal duties in 2020, citing alleged mistreatment from a number of senior royals and even 'bullying' from William and Kate.
After it emerged that Meghan was still going by her HRH surname, a royal insider told press: "There is no way King William will stand for this.
"The titles will simply be removed when he is king. A way will be found."
Whilst he might have plans to give some fellow royals the chop, William is said to favour one cousin in particular - Zara Tindall. Though, as royal expert Christopher Wilson points out, she's unlikely to want to sacrifice her famously private life with husband Mike and their three children in favour of the Firm.
That leaves, he adds, one more cousin, in the form of 'dark-horse contender Lady Louise Windsor'.
"[She] charms all who meet her and could be a decorative and useful asset to the royal team," he told Marie Claire. "But her mother Sophie, vastly protective of her daughter, is just as likely to want her to stay out of the spotlight."
Topics: King Charles III, Prince William, Royal Family, UK News
Rhianna Benson