While Prince William was engaged elsewhere, Princess Beatrice stepped in to participate in the Earthshot Prize water round table, an event that brought together investors and philanthropists to discuss water as an emerging investment theme.
Her involvement signals Prince William's trust in his cousin and underscores their close relationship as Beatrice takes on more responsibilities to support the family. This occurs at a time when King Charles III is reportedly considering offering his nieces, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, more active royal roles.
King Charles III's streamlined monarchy has encountered challenges over the past year. When he was still the Prince of Wales, he openly planned to create a more cost-effective and streamlined royal family. However, royal expert Dickie Arbiter mentioned earlier this year that this vision might need reconsideration due to the increasing demands on a limited number of senior working royals. Queen Camilla had to assume additional responsibilities while the King underwent cancer treatment, and Prince William has increasingly relied on his cousins to support his royal engagements, especially as Catherine, the Princess of Wales, continues with preventative chemotherapy.
Although King Charles is back at work, the past six months have shown that his vision of a streamlined monarchy might not be as practical as he had hoped. With Catherine still out of action, the King may soon look to the next generation of royals to take on additional duties. Royal experts suggest that Beatrice and Eugenie might be offered more senior positions in the coming months. They have already demonstrated their dedication and usefulness by supporting William at recent events. A source close to the King told Katie Nicholl for a new Vanity Fair cover story that Charles is fond of his nieces and believes they have matured into sensible women who could be valuable assets to the monarchy.
Adding Beatrice and Eugenie to the working ranks is under consideration, according to another palace insider who hinted that the monarchy might be ready to adjust its slimmed-down approach. The royal family has always shown a propensity for learning from past experiences and adapting. This adaptability, often seen as one of the monarchy's strengths, suggests that reassessing the slimmed-down approach might be prudent.
The notion of a slimmed-down monarchy has faced scrutiny both before and after King Charles's coronation on May 6, 2023. In a rare pre-coronation interview, a royal expert expressed doubts about the practicality of this approach, suggesting that it may have been conceived when more royals were available to share the workload. Today, fewer blood royals hold titles and serve as working members of the monarchy. Many, like Beatrice, Eugenie, Peter Phillips, and Zara Tindall, have pursued careers outside the royal family. While they still make occasional appearances, their roles are limited, leaving most responsibilities to the senior royals.
However, the senior working royals around the King are aging. Most of the seven active senior royals are in their 60s or 70s. His Majesty is 75, and Queen Camilla is also 75. The Prince and Princess of Wales are both 42, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are 60 and 59, respectively. The Princess Royal is 73, and the four junior working royals under them are all in their 70s or 80s. As Arbiter notes, the monarchy appears to be an aging institution, and the current optics could be concerning. The most apparent solution is to bring in new talent, and Beatrice and Eugenie may be well-suited for these roles.
