King Charles’ Is Apparently \201cLooking to Bring In Some Fresh Blood\201d As His Roster of Working Royals Dwindles In Size

(Image credit: Getty)

published 16 May 2024

After King Charles’ long-desired hopes for a “slimmed down monarchy” have gotten, well, perhaps a little too slim, it seems that Princess Beatrice is “stepping up” her royal duties amid this year’s numerous health crises as well as the step backs and royal resignations of the past five years.

Beatrice’s father, Prince Andrew, unexpectedly resigned from royal duty far before anyone (perhaps most especially Andrew himself) ever thought he would, in the wake of his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his own accusations of sexual misconduct. (Accusations, by the way, he still—to this day—vehemently denies.) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their duties as senior royals and have forged a new life for themselves in the United States. In 2024 alone, King Charles and the Princess of Wales have both been diagnosed with cancer (as has Beatrice’s mother, Sarah Ferguson). Though she never expected to be a working royal, the landscape is making it look more likely that the possibility could be in Beatrice’s future, Us Weekly reports.

“Beatrice will be stepping up the number of engagements she does,” a source speaking to the outlet—one who is close to Beatrice’s mother, the Duchess of York—said, not long after The Daily Mail reported that Beatrice will have a bigger role within the monarchy as the royal family’s health crises continue.

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They made it clear that Beatrice “will not stand in” for Kate, but her new role will be “to help the royals out and be available to do more,” they said.

Around the time Kate announced her cancer diagnosis on March 22, “it was widely reported that Beatrice had impressed King Charles III and Prince William and there were plans in place to make her a working royal,” Us Weekly writes. The Daily Mail writes that, in Kate’s absence, Charles “seeks to add some glamor,” and, while Buckingham Palace is reportedly still considering how best to deploy Beatrice, she is expected to accompany Charles to one key event—possibly the Japanese state visit happening next month.

Indeed, the royal diary is, as they say, “booked and busy” as we jump into late spring/early summer: Trooping the Colour, a state banquet, Garter Day, the 80th D-Day anniversary, and several Buckingham Palace garden parties. While Beatrice—wife of Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi, stepmother to son Wolfie, and mother to daughter Sienna—is a non-working royal and “Charles does not want to change that,” The Daily Mail reports, “he needs help to deal with what insiders acknowledge is an exceptional year.”

The King reportedly wants both Beatrice and her younger sister, Princess Eugenie—also a non-working royal—to attend some of the aforementioned events, and Beatrice “is said to be looking forward to helping out,” The Daily Mail writes.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — Beatrice's younger sister, Eugenie, might also be recruited to help out in this unique time for the Firm.

“They’ve got a busy diary coming up, and they need to widen the family at social events,” a source close to the Yorks told The Daily Mail. “You’ve got a whole week of Ascot. You have four garden parties. You’ve got Trooping the Colour, and you’ve got a state visit before you even start on other things.” They continued “I think Beatrice and Eugenie are adding support where they can. They’ve always been clear they’re non-[working] royal, but they’re always there to help fulfill any duties required.”

Princess Beatrice at a royal engagement — Both Charles and William seem to agree that Beatrice should up her royal engagements as the late spring/early summer schedule heats up.

Another source said “Charles is very aware that his slimmed down monarchy is getting positively skeletal. He is heavily reliant on Anne and the Edinburghs [Prince Edward and Sophie]. He is looking to bring in some fresh blood, and he’s looking to Beatrice and Eugenie. He thinks that they’ve grown into very sensible, lovely women who he thinks could be a real asset. Charles is listening to his public. They have been crying out for that royal glamor that has been missing during a time when his slimmed down monarchy is in desperate need of bulking up.”

They added “Beatrice in particular has been desperate for her chance to shine,” adding that she’s “ambitious, confident, and fashionable.”

William seems to agree: “Both the King and William have seen how well Beatrice has stepped up in recent weeks, and that’s why they are happy to push her to the front and represent the family in public,” OK reported, per Us Weekly. “Although the move is currently being seen as a temporary, unofficial role to help plug the gaps while Charles and Kate recover, it could become more permanent in the future.”

Beatrice is currently ninth in line to the throne in the order of succession.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.