ARTICLE AD
With King Charles, Prince William and the Princess of Wales all out of royal commission for one to five months, it was looking like Queen Camilla was being left in charge for a lengthy period of time. I still believe that Camilla is going to enjoy her little solo daily events for the next month, but the royal press isn’t looking forward to it. Which is why they’re desperate to convince themselves that everyone has been dying to see what Princess Anne and the Duchess of Edinburgh are up to. Anne and Sophie will also be out and about in the next month – although Sophie only seems to have one event on her calendar – but don’t expect to see much of Prince Edward. He’s either on strike or he just needed a break after jetting around the world with zero attention.
With the King temporarily out of action and the Princess of Wales laid up recovering from surgery, there was only one thing for it. The women of Windsor, as ever, have stepped up to the plate. The Queen, Princess Royal and Duchess of Edinburgh are to hold the fort for the coming week as the only senior members of the Royal family on public engagements.
The Queen will be out and about every day on visits, the details of which will be kept under wraps until her arrival for security reasons. Princess Anne, whose reputation as the hardest-working member of the Royal family precedes her, is doing two or three engagements on most days, travelling from London to Moray in Scotland, to Cardiff in Wales and then Wiltshire, Nottingham and back again. Close to her home in Windsor, the Duchess of Edinburgh will do one engagement in Surrey.
The unexpected royal matriarchy will end only on Feb 7, according to plans, when the 79-year-old Duke of Gloucester enters the fray, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh on the 8th. Prince Edward is taking a short break from public duties after his trips overseas in January to South Africa and St Helena.
The Princess of Wales was also discharged on Monday and is now at home in Windsor and reunited with her three children. She is not expected in public until Easter, with a long period of recuperation from abdominal surgery. She will be able to complete some of her work at home, closely following her Early Years project, but will not be making any in-person visits until at least April in a major change to the Royal calendar. The Prince of Wales is due to return to his own public engagements after taking time off to be by his wife’s bedside, but only once when she is settled at home.
The Duke of Sussex and Duke of York, who years ago would also have been undertaking royal duties and would have stepped in to fill the gaps left by the King and Princess, are no longer working members of the family.
Gee, is the Telegraph going to mention why Harry and Andrew are no longer working royals? So eager to lump them together, never eager to explain why! Andrew isn’t a working royal because he raped teenagers who were trafficked to him by Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Harry, on the other hand, married a Black woman who was good at her royal job, and four years later, none of these people have ever recovered from it. As for Edward… it’s not a permanent hiatus, and most of these royals believe that they need a month’s rest after a few days abroad. Anyway, Anne sounds busy. Sophie does not. Camilla isn’t busy either – she’s doing busywork stuff like “visiting a dollhouse” and “dropping off her son’s watch at a repair shop.”
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832317031, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, James, Earl of Wessex, and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832317078, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon Royals Host State Banquet In Honor Of South African President State Visit To The UK Featuring: Earl of Wessex and Countess of Wessex Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 22 Nov 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
The Princess Royal during a visit to Save the Children HQ in Colombo during day one of their visit to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Sri Lanka Featuring: Anne, Princess Royal Where: Colombo, Sri Lanka When: 10 Jan 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** The Princess Royal visits a resettlement village at the Halo Trust site in Muhamalai during day two of her visit to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Sri Lanka. Featuring: Anne, Princess Royal Where: Sri Lanka When: 11 Jan 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** The Princess Royal during an interview with the Press Association on day three of a visit to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Sri Lanka. Featuring: Princess Anne Where: Sri Lanka When: 12 Jan 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Duchess of Edinburgh during a visit to a menstrual health workshop at Harris Girls Academy in East Dulwich, south east London Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Jan 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** The Duchess of Edinburgh during a visit to a menstrual health workshop at Harris Girls Academy in East Dulwich, south east London Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Jan 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** Queen Camilla departs The London Clinic in central London where King Charles is being treated for an enlarged prostate Featuring: Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 26 Jan 2024 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**