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Royal family
King Charles has been operating under what some call a ‘slimmed-down’ version of the monarchy, but one recent royal appearance suggests he might be doing away with that.
King Charles has been the monarchy’s ruler since immediately following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022. By that time, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had already stepped away from the royal family, meaning there were very few working royal family members who could take on engagements.
In 2024, the monarchy became even slimmer as Kate Middleton took time away from the spotlight to focus on her health. Now though, Kate is back to work, but Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, just made a royal appearance that could suggest Charles’ slimmed-down plan might be expanding.
King Charles just made an appearance with a surprising royal couple
Charles and Camilla recently held a reception at Buckingham Palace, where they honored a number of people and organizations who are making a difference around the world. The royal family is known for its charity work, so the event itself certainly didn’t come as a surprise. However, the royal couple that accompanied Charles and Camilla was definitely a lesser-known duo: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is the late Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin. He’s 78 years old and married to Birgitte van Deurs, who is known as the Duchess of Gloucester.
The royal couple’s appearance suggests that Charles and Camilla are interested in working with other members of the royal family who fall outside of the typical working royal hierarchy. Right now, Charles’ siblings and one son, as well as their spouses, are the only working members of the firm. However, this recent appearance with Richard and Birgitte could suggest Charles recognizes the royal family can’t handle the work load with how few people are working royals.
The royal family’s slimmed-down monarchy might only get slimmer
Right now, Charles and Camilla are two important working royals. But once Prince William becomes king, the monarchy will be without the two of them, meaning the number of working royals will shrink even further. William only has one sibling, and everybody knows that Harry has no plans to make a royal family return — William probably wouldn’t even let him.
Charles might see the writing on the wall and be interested in recruiting other family members to take on the working royal status. While Richard and Birgitte are Charles’ age, maybe it’s a sign that other extended royal family members might eventually become working royals themselves.
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