We May See Royals All Dressed Up Sooner Than We Thought
After a lifetime of preparation, King Charles III finally ascended the British throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Insider confirms the new sovereign will have a coronation around a year after the queen's passing, but Charles automatically took over as her eldest living child. Considering Her Majesty was in power for a whopping 70 years, celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, it's a major change for Britons.
Charles intends to significantly modernize the monarchy, including slimming down their numbers, as reported by Us Weekly. The king is concerned about the amount of negative press that's swirled around his family in recent years — including Megxit and Prince Andrew's sex abuse scandal — and feels that cutting back on who's working in a senior capacity could help get them back in the public's good graces.
Royal expert Kinsey Schofield suggested the core members of this new monarchy could be Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and finally Charles's younger sister, Princess Anne. The first, big royal event for the newly-crowned king and his most trusted companions is coming up, which will give them all a chance to dress for the occasion.
The four senior royals will be in their finery for an upcoming state visit
Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles and Kate Middleton are anticipating their first, tiara-clad outing as King Charles prepares for his first state visit since ascending the throne. People reports that, per Buckingham Palace, Charles will host the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, and his wife, Dr. Tshepo Motsepe, during their upcoming stopover in the UK next month. Notably, this is the first state visit since former President Donald Trump traveled over in 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's also, obviously, the first major event since the heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II, signaling that things are slowly getting back to normal after the official mourning period. According to royal insiders, the visit was actually planned prior to Her Majesty's death. Exact details aren't available just yet, but a swanky state banquet at Buckingham Palace is likely on the cards, which will give Camilla and Kate the opportunity to wear their best jewelry.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, alongside Camilla, will have a key role throughout the three-day trip, as the most senior royals under Charles. Elsewhere, a new royal portrait of The Firm members drew mixed reactions on Twitter. The shot featured Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate smiling while dressed all in black. Many users thought it was a lovely photo, but others pointed out how odd it was to release the portrait before the mourning period concluded.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are adapting well to their new roles
Aside from getting to attend glitzy events, the newly-minted Prince and Princess of Wales have undertaken some important responsibilities as part of their new roles, too. As royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti explained to E! News, the couple will gradually be coming to the fore more as King Charles's reign kicks off proper. Heir apparent Prince William will be particularly crucial, "And unlike his father, there probably won't be such a long wait because Charles is already in his 70s, which means that William will be coming to the throne in a much shorter period of time."
William and Kate stepped up to the plate, alongside Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, as the queen's health suffered in recent years, which helped prepare them for Charles's ascension. However, Sacerdoti noted they'll be expected to do even more in the coming years, too. For William, "His duty is going to increase and his service is likely to increase." Kate, meanwhile, will continue interacting with the public as normal, alongside supporting her husband with his duties.
Moreover, a source informed People, "The Prince and Princess of Wales will approach their roles in the modest and humble way they've approached their work previously." As for the other two members of the disbanded Fab Four, Meghan and Harry's new position on the royal website hints that their relationship with King Charles is at an all-time low as the family moves on without them.