All four children of the late Queen Elizabeth<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Prince Philip<\/a> \u2014 King Charles<\/a>, Princess Anne<\/a>, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor<\/a> and Prince Edward<\/a> \u2014 took on royal duties during their adult lives, but most of the late Queen’s grandchildren have kept largely private lives.<\/p>\n It’s a change from previous generations. Many of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousins \u2014\u00a0including the Duke of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Kent \u2014 still hold positions as working members of the royal family. However, it’s uncertain if Prince William’s cousins will do the same, as King Charles has reportedly envisioned a slimmed-down monarchy from previous generations.<\/p>\n Find out more about the lives of Prince William’s cousins below.<\/p>\n Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Dave Benett\/Getty <\/p>\n While not working members of the royal family, Princess Beatrice<\/a>, 37, and\u00a0Princess Eugenie<\/a>, 35, once had perhaps the highest public profile behind cousins Prince William and Prince Harry. The sisters are the closest to William and Harry in the line of succession to the throne, currently with Beatrice in the ninth spot, followed by her two daughters, and Eugenie in the twelfth spot, followed by her two sons.<\/p>\n While Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie both hold private careers<\/a> \u2014 Beatrice in private equity and Eugenie as the director of an art gallery \u2014 they use their royal status to support charities and make public appearances at family events.<\/p>\n Despite not being a working royal, Beatrice still serves in an important position within the monarchy. In 2022, she was appointed as a\u00a0Counsellor of State<\/a>\u00a0to her uncle\u00a0King Charles<\/a>, which means she could execute constitutional duties if the King is abroad or unwell.<\/p>\n In October, King Charles announced that he was stripping Andrew of his royal titles and residence, a conclusion of years of scandal due to his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>. Instead of being known as Prince Andrew and his Duke of York title, he will be known now simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.<\/p>\n The news of Andrew’s royal exit came with the understanding that Beatrice and Eugenie would\u00a0retain their royal titles<\/a>,\u00a0in accordance with King George V\u2019s Letters Patent of 1917. As they are daughters of a son of a sovereign, they both remain princesses and will continue to have the styling of Her Royal Highness. However, both have kept a relatively low profile following their parents’ recent scandal, apart from a surprise appearance at Christmas<\/a> with the royal family.<\/p>\n Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter<\/a> to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!\u00a0<\/p>\n Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips Antony Jones\/Getty<\/p>\n The firstborn royal grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Peter Phillips<\/a> and Zara Tindall<\/a> were kept out of the royal spotlight from the very beginning of their lives.<\/p>\n Princess Anne, 75, welcomed Peter, 48, and Zara, 44, during her marriage to Captain Mark Phillips, which ended in divorce in 1992. Peter and Zara were\u00a0not entitled to royal status by birth<\/a> as children of a monarch’s daughter; however,\u00a0Queen Elizabeth\u00a0extended a courtesy title to Anne\u2019s children, which her daughter declined in the hope of providing Peter and Zara with a more normal childhood.<\/p>\n “I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles,” Princess Anne told\u00a0Vanity Fair<\/a>\u00a0in 2020. “So I think that was probably the right thing to do.”<\/p>\n As adults, both have expressed appreciation for her mother’s decision.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn’t give us any titles. I really commend her on that,\u201d Zara said during a 2023 podcast interview<\/a> with her husband, Mike Tindall<\/a>. \u201cWe were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.\u201d<\/p>\n Zara went on to become a professional equestrian, winning a\u00a0team silver medal in eventing at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, while Peter has worked in finance and sports management.<\/p>\n Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex Max Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty; Karwai Tang\/WireImage<\/p>\n The children of\u00a0Prince Edward\u00a0and\u00a0Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Louise, 21, and James, 17 \u2014 are years younger than their cousins and were largely kept out of the public eye during their childhood.<\/p>\n As they reach adulthood, it’s believed that Louise and James will not be called upon for major royal duties, despite the fact that their parents have stepped into more visible roles as senior royals following the accession of\u00a0King Charles<\/a>\u00a0and Edward’s inheritance of\u00a0his late father’s title<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I think Sophie \u2014 and Edward \u2014 have been careful to prepare their children for a life outside the working royal family,” royal biographer Sean Smith told\u00a0GB News<\/a> in August 2025.<\/p>\n The author of a biography on Sophie, subtitled\u00a0Saving the Royal Family, Smith said he’s “confident that there will not be any pressure on Louise and James” to take on major royal duties.<\/p>\n Lady Louise is currently in her final year at the\u00a0University of St. Andrews<\/a>\u00a0in Scotland, where she studies English. Like some of her cousins, she has also taken part in military training and\u00a0holds the rank of\u00a0Officer Cadet\u00a0in the Army Reserve.<\/p>\n Another royal connection is her love of horses and carriage driving.\u00a0She inherited Prince Philip’s driving ponies and carriage<\/a>\u00a0upon his death in 2021, and she recently competed at the National Carriage Driving Championships, where she was cheered on by\u00a0her rumored boyfriend, Felix da Silva-Clamp<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c[She] is the only young woman of her age in the royal family, and I am sure she will be a great success at whatever she decides to do,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, James\u00a0inherited his father’s former title<\/a>\u00a0of Earl of Wessex, having previously been styled James, Viscount Severn. He currently attends the all-boys boarding school Radley College in Oxfordshire.<\/p>\n Louise has taken part in more recent public royal events like\u00a0Trooping the Colour<\/a>. The more private James is often photographed with the royal family at holiday services.<\/p>\n Prince Harry Kristina Bumphrey\/Variety via Getty<\/p>\n Prince Harry<\/a>, 41, took on royal duties and patronages in his adult life, and Meghan Markle<\/a>, 44, also became a working royal after their 2018 wedding.<\/p>\n In a surprise move, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they planned to “step back as senior members of the Royal Family<\/a>.”\u00a0At the time, Harry and Meghan said they hoped to split their time between the U.K. and North America and “continue\u00a0their duties in support of the late Queen as privately funded members of The Royal Family.”<\/p>\n However, Queen Elizabeth’s view was that members of the royal family can’t be “half in, half out” \u2014 representing the monarchy and the U.K. while also pursuing personal financial goals. A year after their initial announcement, it was confirmed that Harry and Meghan would not be returning to their royal roles and would no longer keep their patronages.<\/p>\n Harry and Meghan relocated to her home state of California in 2020, where they are raising their two children, Prince Archie<\/a>, 6, and\u00a0Princess Lilibet<\/a>, 4.<\/p>\n The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also continued to support causes close to their heart through their nonprofit, Archewell Philanthropies<\/a>, and kept some of the causes from their royal life, such as Harry’s Invictus Games. Additionally, they’ve pursued creative and storytelling ventures in a partnership with Netflix.<\/p>\n![\"Princess](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/539a9bd919e54b55b7cf58ce962c71f5.jpeg\"\/)
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at The Anti Slavery Collective’s inaugural Winter Gala on Nov. 29, 2023 <\/p>\n![\"Zara](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/e20967d8d26e0a48660d9c0829c9bba2.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"James,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/629a884b984d236e5a501f921c9e65e2.jpeg\"\/)
James, Earl of Wessex; Lady Louise Windsor <\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/e56fa83cc1354a03e67db729a4813ac1.jpeg\"\/)
Prince Harry <\/p>\n