Expert Accuses 2 Royal Family Members of Being Nothing But ‘Hangers-on’
There have been a lot of changes in Britain’s royal family since Queen Elizabeth II’s death. One that’s been the most noticeable is King Charles‘ slimmed-down monarchy. The notion was something royal watchers had heard would be happening once Charles succeeded his mother. And the day of the king and Queen Camilla’s (formerly Camilla Parker Bowles) coronation we got to see just what that new monarchy looks like.
It’s now comprised of just 15 royals who work on behalf of the Crown. Despite the changes. a royal expert is claiming that two family members are still in the mix as “hangers-on” and their lavish lifestyles could spell trouble for the king and draw criticism from the public.
Expert calls 2 royals just ‘hangers-on’ who don’t work for the family
Dr. Ed Owens, author of the book After Elizabeth: Can The Monarchy Save Itself?, spoke to GB News about Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s behavior which he believes is why King Charles refuses to elevate them to “working” status.
Owens said: “Both daughters of [Prince] Andrew are more like their mother, Sarah Ferguson, and the way that she was a public figure as a member of the working royal family, rather than Princess Anne for example. They take lots of holidays and it’s never certain who exactly is paying for those holidays. They don’t come across as hard-working dutiful princesses. They haven’t presented themselves, both Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice as particularly dutiful figures.”
He continued: “They’ve been classically accused of behaving, as royal hangers-on have traditionally behaved, as enjoying the wealth, privilege, and power of monarchy without doing the hard work. So they’re more like their mother was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sarah Ferguson, than their aunt Anne. That is the comparison I would make.”
Correspondent says elevating the princesses to working royals isn’t what people want
There’s been talk about whether the king could employ the princesses in the future as the number of royals to carry out duties has decreased and the late queen’s cousins are older so they don’t perform as many themselves. But royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that would be a mistake.
“I think it would be a backwards step for King Charles to change his ideas about a slimmed-down monarchy,” she told OK! magazine. “It’s true that the number of working royals has reduced naturally because of Andrew, Harry and Meghan and, as the Princess Royal acknowledged, they are now pretty thin on the ground. But I think the king’s concept of a small, efficient core of working royals is in tune with public opinion.
“Beatrice and Eugenie already have a voice by dint of the royal status and both carry out charitable work when they can … I do not think that paying them to attend events would go down well with the public.”
