After 70 years of service, the Duke of Edinburgh will be stepping down from his public duties at the age of 95, it was announced by Buckingham Palace last week.
In a statement from the Palace, released after an impromptu meeting of the royal household sparked concern for the Queen and the Prince’s health on social media, it was revealed that Philip’s decision ‘comes with the full support of the Queen,’ who will ‘continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.’
Naturally, this means that the younger generations of royals – namely the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry – will doubtless be expected to step up their current level of engagements in order to support their grandmother.
While the young royals have previously faced criticism from some circles for the frequency (or perceived infrequency) with which they attend official events for the Queen, all three have stepped up their engagements in recent months: last year, the Duke of Cambridge was shown to spend 80 days on royal engagements, the same as his grandmother, while Prince Harry spent 86 days on the job.
The Duke will soon finish his work with the Norfolk Air Ambulance and his family are set to move from Anmer Hall to Kensington Palace in the autumn: these changes, coupled with the more recent announcement of his grandfather’s retirement, suggest that Kate and William’s workload is set to increase significantly from the autumn onwards (though the couple will still take part in the school run, dropping Prince George off at Thomas’s, Battersea when possible). As a statement from Kensington Palace revealed earlier this year, ‘their Royal Highnesses are keen to continue to increase their official work on behalf of The Queen and for the charities and causes they support, which will require greater time spent in London.’
Without Philip at the Queen’s side, we can expect to see the monarch accompanied by one of her grandsons at state events and important ceremonies in the future: just one day after the Duke of Edinburgh’s retirement was announced, William helped his grandmother greet Aung San Suu Kyi at Buckingham Palace, and attended a private lunch with the Burmese leader.
But where does the Duchess of Cambridge’s role slot in to all of this? According to one royal insider, Kate will perhaps echo the approach taken by Philip himself. ‘If you look at Kate’s approach, you will notice that it is very much in support of William, first and foremost, but also about carving her own charitable path, as [Philip] has done with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and his long involvement with charities like the WWF,’ the ‘well-placed’ source told the Sunday Express.
Another added that this increase in workload might impact upon the Cambridges in another way, potentially making them less likely to expand their family with a long-rumoured third child. ‘I would be very surprised if they had a third child,’ the source explained. ‘They have got a boy and a girl – there is a sense that their family is now complete and they are moving onto the next chapter in their lives.’
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