When King Charles III says senior working royals, he really means senior citizens. At 73, Charles was the oldest monarch to ascend the throne, and he’s joined in his sunset years by his wife, Queen Camilla, as well as other working royals like Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. The average age of the senior working royals is 68, and the Prince and Princess of Wales are the only two who are under 50. So how does a streamlined monarchy work when nearly all of them are already skewing towards out-of-touch?
Let’s forget the whole concept of a skeleton crew (literally), since that plan is already poised to blow up in Charles’ face. Instead, what would the monarchy look like with younger working royals to appeal to wider demographics? For example, Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara, and her husband Mike Tindall are hugely popular, ranking above Charles and Camilla in a 2024 popularity poll. Prince Andrew’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are both in their thirties and have taken royal engagements in the past to great success. And sure, Eugenie’s tight-knit friendship with the estranged Prince Harry has raised eyebrows, but let’s not forget there are still those in the U.K. who support him. If Charles wants to lead England forward into a new future, it might be time to take some cues from his kids.
