King Charles' Decision About Working Royals Proved Us All Wrong
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her son, King Charles III, was expected to make changes to the monarchy, most notably plans to slim it down to just a few full-time working royals. Before the queen's passing, the royal family was considered to be the 22 highest-ranking members. This included William and Catherine Middleton, Prince of Princess of Wales and their children; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his children; and a few others, per the royal family's website.
Sources revealed that Charles planned to cut that number down of working royals to eight, which would include (of course) King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, William and Catherine Middleton, and Princess Anne, per Insider.
According to the Daily Mail, the King's desire to slash down the number of working royals is due to the financial strain that a large monarchy imposes on the public. And it was a move that Charles' heir, Prince William, supported, with the two working closely together to prepare for their roles as king. "The way William and Charles see it, less people means less drama," a source told US Weekly.
But now it seems like Charles has had a slight change of heart, with sources saying that he will be keeping 11 family members as working royals.
King Charles will keep the number of working royals at 11 for now
King Charles III reportedly has nixed slimming down the monarchy to just eight working members — at least for now. According to Express, those carrying out duties are Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie Wessex. In addition, Queen Elizabeth II's cousins — the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Gloucester, and his wife the Duchess of Gloucester — will continue with their duties. "There are no current plans to change anything on that front," a royal source revealed.
King Charles will likely need the help since he is planning an unprecedented royal tour that will rival his late mother's. He will kick off his reign with the biggest tour in the royal family's history, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and various Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean. Camilla will reportedly be joining him on some legs of the trip, per the Mirror.
"The King and his family are keen to hit the ground running in these crucial first few months and years of his reign," an insider revealed. "He certainly wants to carry on the long-held mantra from his late mother of being seen to be believed, and is very keen to get out and meet as many people as possible."