With the Royal Family facing more serious challenges than they have in years, one expert has claimed that the absence of Prince Harry has ‘never been felt so acutely’
For many years, it’s been well known that King Charles believed that slimming down the monarchy would help modernise the institution, making it more cost-effective for the taxpayer – and in a similar fashion to other European monarchies, the number of ‘working royals’ has fallen in recent years.
This was, however, in part, because Meghan and Prince Harry opted to leave of their own volition and move to California to pursue financial independence. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made it clear in 2020 that they would have preferred to still serve the crown in a part-time capacity, their suggestion of being half-in, half-out, was refused.
Now, with both the King and Kate, the Princess of Wales off duty for the time being, one expert has claimed that “the absence of Harry has never been felt more acutely.”
The expert, Tessa Dunlop – historian, author, and broadcaster – writing for The Independent explained just why “charismatic” Harry’s absence seems so significant as the Royal Family goes through a challenging period.
Dunlop wrote in the aftermath of the furor over Kate’s edited Mother’s Day photo, which was withdrawn by news agencies on the grounds of suspected “manipulation”, explaining why the short list of working royals available to conduct engagements seemed like a concern – before Kate’s cancer diagnosis had even been made public.
“In less than a decade, Britain has gone from a bloated monarchy to a perilously thin one,” wrote the expert. “These days the institution boasts more palaces than royal players, an unanticipated predicament which has piled pressure on the Royal Family’s squeezed middle, William and Kate.”
However, Kate needed to focus on her children and recover as she undergoes a course of preventative chemotherapy, it will likely be William who has to bear the brunt of this extra pressure. Whilst the couple’s three children are on their Easter holidays, the Prince of Wales is expected to remain at home but will return to official engagements once they have returned to school for the next term.
Almost all of the royals who are able to conduct official engagements are aged over 70 – with only four younger members: Prince Edward, 60, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, 59, Prince William, 41, and Kate, the Princess of Wales, aged 42.
Queen Camilla has worked to pick up the slack whilst her husband remains away from “public-facing duties” – and William has continued working on his philanthropic projects to end homelessness and find solutions to the climate crisis. However, neither could be begrudged for focusing on their spouses and family lives amid the health challenges that Charles and Kate are facing.
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