Advertisement

The 'minor' royals feel 'excluded' by the more senior members, says expert

Watch the full interview with royal correspondent Camilla Tominey and royal historian Kate Williams on episode five of Yahoo UK’s brand new show ‘The Royal Box‘, which is available to stream here from Friday 3 August.

‘Minor’ royals feel excluded by more senior, and prolific, members of the royal family.

That’s according to royal correspondent Camilla Tominey, who says the ‘streamlining’ of the royal family is causing friction within the fold.

An increasing number of duties and public engagements are split between the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

As a consequence, Her Majesty’s other three children – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward – along with Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and Edward’s wife, Sophie Countess of Wessex, are being given less time in the limelight.

The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour 2018. [Photo: Getty]
The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at Trooping the Colour 2018. [Photo: Getty]

“The Duke of York has always fought vociferously for his daughters [Beatrice and Eugenie] to have a significant role in the family because he has describes them as ‘blood princesses’,” Tominey tells Yahoo UK, during episode five of ‘The Royal Box’.

“He was very upset when it was suggested that they should not have tax payer funded bodyguards.”

It’s understood that the streamlining of the royal family has been implemented by Prince Charles in response to frequent criticism about how they spend their money.

This was echoed in a poll conducted by YouGov in 2015, which asked voters which royals should be funded by the state.

Of the people asked, 69% said the Queen and Prince Philip should continue to get funding, while 56% said Charles and Camilla should and 59% agreed the Cambridges should.

However, the majority of votes said that the Queen’s children, Peter and Zara Phillips and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie should not be funded.

“There’s an understanding that royals a little bit lower down the pecking order feel excluded by the magnificent seven, or eight,” Tominey explains.

“They feel like they should have a balcony space. The trouble is there’s a public appetite for some more than others.”

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

Why Meghan Markle’s new family are ignoring her toxic old one

Duchess of Sussex wears sleeveless trench dress and trademark messy bun for Nelson Mandela exhibition in London

Donald Trump wasn’t being rude when he met the Queen, says royal expert