Prince William may become dependent on two lesser-known royals in the coming years

Prince William appears in trailer for 'The Reluctant Traveller'.

|

Apple TV

Svar Nanan-Sen

By Svar Nanan-Sen


Published: 03/10/2025

- 09:34

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew have all stepped down as working royals in the last decade

Prince William may become dependent on two lesser-known royals to help with the workload of public-facing engagements in the coming years.

The number of engagements undertaken by the Royal Family has declined rapidly over the last decade and a half.


In 2011, there were 12 working royals who covered 3,874 engagements both across the UK and abroad.

There are now only 10 working royals and in 2024, they made a total of 2,168 public engagements, a drop of almost half from the 2011 total.

Prince William

Prince William may become dependent on two lesser-known royals to help with the workload of public-facing engagements in the coming years.

|

PA

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew have all stepped down as working royals in the last decade.

King Charles has responded well to his cancer treatment but there may come a day when the monarch scales back the amount of public engagements he is undertaking, depending on his health.

Some of the remaining working royals on the current roster may also consider retirement over the coming years, including the Duke of Gloucester, 81, and the Duchess of Gloucester, 79.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have been reliable working royals under Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles.

Prince William

The number of engagements undertaken by the Royal Family has declined rapidly over the last decade and a half.

|

PA

Prince William may consider turning to their children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, the Earl of Wessex, 17.

Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, have not raised their children with the expectation that they will be working royals, however, the Prince of Wales may feel he needs to call on them until his own children are able to carry out royal duties.

Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, are still at least a decade away from undertaking public-facing duties, assuming the children do not take on a role in the Firm until after completing their university studies at 21.

Today, the Prince of Wales has given a rare TV interview to Apple's The Reluctant Traveler.

Duchess of Edinburgh

Prince William may consider turning to their children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, the Earl of Wessex, 17.

|

PA

The heir to the throne discussed the importance of getting the balance right between work and family life.

Prince William told Apple TV: “Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important.

“Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.

“And so, it’s about making sure that we can look after our families, look after our children, in a way that is best for their future.”