Buckingham Palace is keen to avoid “undue prominence” being placed on Princess Eugenie’s pregnancy as senior royals step up their public roles, according to a royal commentator.
The princess recently confirmed she is expecting her third child this summer, delighting royal watchers.
However, the timing comes amid a period of heightened activity for the monarchy, with King Charles III earning widespread attention following a high-profile visit to the United States and Catherine, Princess of Wales's two-day fact-finding mission focused on early childhood development in Italy.
Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams told GB News: “There’s terrific admiration for the King after what he did in the United States,” referring to the monarch’s four-day State Visit, which saw him address Congress and undertake a series of engagements in New York and Virginia aimed at reinforcing the UK-US relationship.
“And bearing that in mind, there will be a lot of interest in the royal events to come, especially with the news about the Princess of Wales.”
Mr Fitzwilliams suggested that, in this context, the Palace would be cautious about allowing focus to drift away from senior working royals.
He said: “So I don't think the Palace wants undue prominence given to this because the baby is to be born in the summer, and the christening will take place perhaps next year.
“The whole thing is very unfortunate for both Beatrice and Eugenie.”
Buckingham Palace is keen to avoid 'undue prominence' regarding the royal baby announcement, a commentator has claimed
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His comments come as the monarchy continues to balance personal family milestones with its public-facing duties, particularly at a time when senior figures are taking on an increasingly prominent role.
Mr Fitzwilliams was clear that, in his view, the King’s recent diplomatic efforts have reinforced his position at the centre of the institution.
“The monarchy's most effective asset right now is the King because of what he's shown - an amazing success in Washington in every possible respect,” he said.
“Those speeches didn't come overnight. They were worked on for weeks or months.”
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King Charles became only the second reigning British monarch to address Congress, following his late mother Queen Elizabeth II's speech in 1991 | REUTERSHe added that the King’s performance was all the more notable given his ongoing health challenges.
“But it shows how someone who has the practice of being the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history, despite fighting cancer, which was just phenomenal, nonetheless ventures into telling truth to power in a way that was acceptable and indeed acclaimed by all. It was a truly phenomenal feat.”
At the same time, Mr Fitzwilliams emphasised the importance of the Prince and Princess of Wales as the future of the monarchy, pointing to consistently strong polling figures.
“However, having said that, yes, William and Catherine are the royal trump card in other respects,” he said.
The Princess of Wales is travelling to Italy later this month
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Recent polling supports this, with YouGov finding the Prince and Princess of Wales among the most popular members of the Royal Family, with approval ratings in the mid-70s.
“This clearly shows they are the future of the monarchy,” Mr Fitzwilliams continued.
“Very clearly, Catherine's influence is enormous.”