The Prince of Wales could be considering a ‘slimmed-down monarchy’ when he becomes King, and may look to the next generation of royals to step up
10:33, 10 Apr 2026Updated 07:40, 11 Apr 2026
Prince William is believed to be considering reducing the number of working royals (Image: Getty Images)
Prince William may be considering a fresh generation of senior working royals, according to one expert, as he seemingly finds himself “running out of royals” to represent the Firm. Many have speculated that when the Prince of Wales ascends the throne, he will introduce a new chapter for the Royal Family, featuring a “slimmed-down monarchy”, which will further reduce the pool of senior working royals within the institution.
The roster of working royals has already been substantially reduced, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quitting their royal duties for life in the US in 2020, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor banished from public life.
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Prince William could be considering a slimmed-down monarchy when he ascends the throne(Image: WireImage)
According to the Daily Mail’s Christopher Wilson, William may be considering deploying Lady Louise Windsor – the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh – in a more prominent capacity.
Reflecting on how few working royals have been visible in recent months, Mr Wilson told the publication: “That leaves dark-horse contender Lady Louise Windsor, 22, who charms all who meet her and could be a decorative and useful asset to the royal team. But her mother Sophie, vastly protective of her daughter, is just as likely to want her to stay out of the spotlight.”
The royal expert also discussed Lady Louise’s younger brother, 18-year-old James, stepping up to a royal role, noting: “Little is known of his character and personality or whether he’d wish to serve as a front rank royal – even if William wished it. Currently he’s a pupil at Radley, the Berkshire public school.”
Lady Louise Windsor is the daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
Mr Wilson also suggested that William might encounter difficulties as “public demand for the attendance of a royal to mark major and minor events up and down the country remains as high as ever”.
Lady Louise Windsor – who is presently studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, where William and Kate met – has made a few select appearances at royal events, such as Royal Ascot and Trooping the Colour.
Nevertheless, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have been resolute in keeping their two children away from the royal spotlight and providing them with a “normal” upbringing, despite their royal lineages.
While Louise and James are legally entitled to use His or Her Royal Highness titles due to their royal status as grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II, their parents chose not to adopt the title, hoping it would enable them to live a more normal life.
Duchess Sophie said in a 2020 interview with The Times: “We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles.”
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