12 Major Things That Have Changed With The Royals Since Queen Elizabeth's Death

Queen Elizabeth II is one of the most recognizable figures in modern history. She ascended the British throne in 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI, beginning what would become a remarkable 70-year reign. Over the decades, the royal family experienced moments of celebration as well as periods of intense public scrutiny, while Elizabeth herself maintained a steady presence through enormous political, cultural, and technological change. By the time she marked her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, she had officially become the longest-serving monarch in British history.

That same year, however, an era came to an end. On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral Castle at the age of 96, surrounded by members of the royal family. Buckingham Palace confirmed her death to the public, and the royals entered into a period of mourning. Simultaneously, the late queen's eldest son, King Charles III, ascended the throne, becoming Britain's new monarch. In the years since, the royal family has undergone a series of notable shifts as the new generation stepped into different roles and responsibilities. From leadership changes to evolving public scandals and everything in between, here are 12 major things that have changed with the royals since the queen's death.

Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration that takes place on the second Monday in March. It recognizes the partnership between the 56 countries that make up the Commonwealth of Nations and typically includes events and cultural celebrations across member nations, as well as a special service at Westminster Abbey in London attended by members of the British royal family. King Charles III, who serves as Head of the Commonwealth, traditionally delivers a message highlighting unity and shared values among the member countries. For more than three decades, the service at Westminster Abbey aired on the BBC network, but in 2026, it was not televised.

"Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day Ceremony in the same way we've done in previous years reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light of our funding challenges," the BBC said in a statement, according to Hello! magazine. "We can confirm BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel." The only other time that the BBC didn't air the Commonwealth Day service over the past 37 years was in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In October 2025, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was stripped of all of his royal titles. "His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew," the palace said in the statement, according to People magazine. "Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor," the statement continued. Additionally, Andrew was forced to vacate his home at Royal Lodge, where he'd lived for more than 20 years. The reason being, it seems, was to officially end Andrew's affiliation with the monarchy as more and more chatter about him surfaced regarding his alleged relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Despite Andrew's denial of wrongdoing, King Charles III made it clear that he doesn't want the monarchy negatively affected by the controversy.

Flash forward four months and Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19, 2026. After 11 hours of questioning, Andrew was released. He has yet to be formally charged, though the investigation into any potential wrongdoing is ongoing. "What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities," Charles said in a statement via CNN. "In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course," he added. 

Two years after Queen Elizabeth II died, King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer. Buckingham Palace announced that cancer was found during treatment for an enlarged prostate, though the specific type of cancer was not revealed. In a statement, the palace said that the king "remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible," according to BBC News. In keeping with the monarchy's long-standing tradition (for lack of a better word) of keeping private matters out of the public eye, Charles has chosen not to share personal details of his diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment with the world.

In April 2025, Charles spoke out about some of the experiences he'd had over the course of the past year or so. At a Buckingham Palace celebration held to raise cancer awareness, the king stated that he had a "deeper appreciation" for those men and women working in cancer research, treatment, and for those who have been diagnosed with the horrible disease. He also said that he paid particular attention to the fact that "the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion," according to NBC News.

In January 2024, Catherine, Princess of Wales, underwent "planned abdominal surgery." Over the next couple of weeks, rumors about the princess began circulating online and many questioned why she'd been making fewer public appearances. In March 2024, Catherine shared a candid video on Instagram in which she revealed that she was in the "early stages" of preventative chemotherapy after receiving a cancer diagnosis, though she didn't specify the type of cancer or her prognosis. 

By June 2024, Catherine was slowly getting back into her royal duties and she even attended Wimbledon the following month. In September 2024, Princess Cathrine shared that she'd finished her cancer treatments. "Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes," she said in a video posted on X. "I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can. Despite all that has gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life," she added.

Quite a few things have changed with William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, since the queen's death. One of the biggest changes, however, is that the Waleses have a new place to call home. In November 2025, the couple along with their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — moved into an eight-bedroom residence at Forest Lodge. Three years prior, the family moved from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, but evidently needed more room. 

Forest Lodge is said to be the Waleses' "forever home," a source telling The Sun that "moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter; an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind." The outlet also reported that the family will continue to reside in the home even after William becomes king. While it won't be surprising if William and Cathrine make some adjustments to the abode in an effort to make it their own, Forest Lodge underwent some pretty hefty renovations in 2021 to the tune of $2 million.

Prince Harry has also had a lot going on in his life in the years after his grandmother's death. The youngest son of King Charles III and his late ex-wife, Princess Diana, has been fighting some legal battles, a couple of which have resolved in his favor. For example, in December 2023, Harry scored a victory against a media company he accused of hijacking his voicemail as a way to retrieve and report on information about him and the royal family. "The journey to justice can be a slow and painful one and since bringing my claim almost five years ago defamatory stories and intimidating tactics have been deployed against me and at my family's expense. And so, as I too have learnt through this process, patience is, in fact, a virtue. Especially, in the face of vendetta journalism," Harry said in a statement at the time (via People). 

In 2025, the Duke of Sussex saw more success in court when his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) ended in his favor. According to the Economic Times, NGN "issued a historic apology and agreed to pay substantial damages" after being convicted of invading Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle's, privacy by phone hijacking and conducting surveillance. 

It's no secret that Prince Harry has been at odds with the royal family, particularly with his dad, King Charles III, and his older brother, Prince William. This rift began prior to Queen Elizabeth II's death and is still ongoing — though there could be an end in sight. In May 2023, the Duke of Sussex told BBC News, "I would love a reconciliation with my family." About four months later, reports that Harry and his dad reunited for the first time in two years surfaced online. "The meeting was sparked by a handwritten letter from Harry earlier this year to Charles expressing his desire to reconnect," a source told Us Weekly. The source also stated that Harry's meet-up with his dad, which reportedly lasted less than an hour, was "super positive and very relaxed."

Sadly, things aren't completely patched up within the royal family, as royal author Omid Scobie told People magazine that Harry and William really haven't spoken in three years. "Nothing has changed. The expectations and wants and wishes of Prince Harry are exactly the same as they were then — and none of them have been met," Scobie told the outlet in March 2026.

Since stepping down as a senior working member of the royal family and moving to the States, Meghan Markle has swiftly moved back to her entertainment roots, landing a deal with Netflix in September 2020 and, by March 2025, she had her own show on the streamer. "With Love, Meghan" focused on cooking and crafting, with Markle sharing elevated yet simple ways to entertain from creating tasty libations to arranging floral centerpieces and everything in between. 

The Duchess of Sussex went all in on her As ever brand, selling choice items on her website. After two seasons and a holiday special of "With Love, Meghan," Netflix decided to end its partnership with Markle. "As ever is grateful for Netflix's partnership through launch and our first year. We have experienced meaningful and rapid growth, and As ever is now ready to stand on its own. We have an exciting year ahead and can't wait to share more," a spokesperson for As ever said, per People. Markle hasn't released any plans to close this chapter, however, and seems to be dedicated to keeping the As ever brand moving forward, despite no longer having a show.

Prince William is heir to the British throne and while he isn't king just yet, he's already taken on a larger role within the monarchy. In light of his uncle's scandals and his father's health issues, the Prince of Wales has stepped up, taking on more solo engagements, attending meetings, and preparing for what lies ahead. Moreover, sources say that William is ready to jump in and take the reins in an even bigger way, if and when that time comes. And, of course, there's already been plenty of speculation that William is prepared to become king much earlier than anticipated if needed.

"Prince William is dedicated to duty, as imbued in him by Queen Elizabeth II, who tutored him every Sunday regarding his royal duties," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "He's also under huge generational pressure since the increasing public popularity of the monarchy ranks highest for both him and Princess Catherine," Fordwich added.

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle informed Queen Elizabeth II that they were moving out of the UK, a decision was made to allow them to keep their residence at Frogmore Cottage. However, in March 2023, just six months after the queen died, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were informed that the home was no longer open to them — if, say, they were ever to return to the UK to visit or otherwise. According to The Sun, King Charles III made the decision to "evict" the couple shortly after the release of Harry's memoir, "Spare."

"This surely spells the end of Harry and Meghan's time in the UK," a source told the outlet, which also reported that the duo weren't offered an alternate home if they'd ever planned to return. In June 2024, the Independent reported that Frogmore Cottage remained unoccupied since Harry and Meghan removed the last of their belongings. "The Sovereign Grant has been fully reimbursed for the refurbishment costs of Frogmore cottage when it was initially provided to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and, therefore, there is no cost to the Sovereign Grant other than some routine maintenance, but it would be required for any of the buildings."

Princess Anne was incredibly close to her mother, and penned a touching tribute to the queen after her death. "I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother's life. It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys. Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting," Anne wrote, in part, ending her statement with one line: "To my mother, The Queen, thank you" (via Town & Country).

Anne has always loved horses, likely taking after her mother. The princess has had a few horse riding-related accidents over the years, but one in particular seemed pretty serious. In 2024, the Princess Royal was hospitalized with a concussion and other injuries following an accident with one of her horses at her home, though she has no recollection of what happened. "I know where I thought I was going and that was to go to the chickens, no, nothing to do with horses. [Seeing the chickens was] my regular visit, I don't have any idea what I was doing in the field, because I never normally went that way. It just reminds you, shows you – you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover," she told the Press Association in January 2025 (via BBC News).

Queen Elizabeth II's family has grown since her death in 2022. In January 2025, her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, gave birth to her second child. Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, welcomed baby Athena Elizabeth Rose, who was born weeks before her due date, weighing just 4 pounds and 5 ounces according to Buckingham Palace's statement on X. Two months later, Beatrice opened up about her daughter's early arrival. "Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realize your baby is going to arrive early. There's so little control," Beatrice wrote in an essay for British Vogue in March 2025. "Will she arrive healthy? Will there be complications? How will you juggle the rest of family life while trying to keep a tiny human safe and well?" Beatrice shared that her daughter was healthy and thriving, despite her pre-term birth.

Athena would have been Queen Elizabeth's 13th great grandchild, right behind little sister, Sienna Elizabeth, who was born four years prior. Athena is 11th in line to the British throne.