Richard Berthelsen: The shrinking Royal Family in 2020 and 2021

TORONTO -- Before Christmas, the Queen gathered with family at Windsor to listen to a Salvation Army band play carols while welcoming back Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge after a morale-boosting train visit to Scotland, Wales, and England.  But the photo of the assembled group could not offer a starker portrait of the dramatic shrinking of the working Royal Family in little more than a year.

2020 was a challenging year for the monarchy in ways not anticipated, even while the Queen and members of the Royal Family were determined to do their duty to respond to the pandemic. But thanks to the departures from public life of three prominent family members, as well as the retirement of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2017, the size of the Royal Family is diminishing. While Prince Charles is said to favour a slimmed-down monarchy, he could not have imagined that it would come so quickly or in such surprising ways.

In 2021, the working Royal Family will consist of seven members in addition to the 94-year-old Queen, with just two below the age of 50 (William and Catherine).  Her Majesty is supported in her duties by the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Cambridges, the Wessexs, and Princess Anne. While her cousins, the older Gloucesters (in their 70s) and Kents (in their 80s) still undertake some engagements, in the public eye, it is essentially the family firm of eight which gathered before Christmas at Windsor.

The dramatic fall from grace of the Duke of York in late 2019 has inevitably become permanent in 2020 as the allegations and criminal proceedings swirl around Ghislaine Maxwell and the late Jeffrey Epstein. It now appears that there may never be a suitable explanation or proof of what did or did not take place which will be accepted by the public or by the accusers.  The reputation of Prince Andrew is unlikely to be restored. For the prince, the public has pronounced judgement on his disastrous interview and poor judgement in choice of associates as well as his silence.  The departure of the eighth in line to the throne has only made the workload heavier for those left behind and difficult for his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie in what is otherwise a happy time for them in young married life.

The extraordinary departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in January continues to reverberate within the monarchy and in public. In royal circles, there is deep discomfort with the commercialization of their titles, images, and their role in U.S. celebrity culture. In March 2021, the one-year review of their arrangements is unlikely to result in any change and more likely to result in further estrangement from the Royal Family. It is not clear how the palace will view the continued use of a royal title in these circumstances. For many, comparisons with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and their back-and-forth across the Atlantic is a close parallel and it is not a happy memory.

Financial independence and privacy were said to be the reason for this break, although the provision of stories to selected and sympathetic members of the media as well as commercial deals, particularly with Netflix and Spotify, is seen by many in the U.K. as unseemly. That the Sussex duo has a production deal with a streaming service which at the same time is making money from a speculative portrayal of royal life in “The Crown” is as uncomfortable as Harry and Meghan view inaccurate stories in the tabloid press.

The Duke of Sussex remains sixth in line to the throne, which is not mere trivia should anything happen to his father or brother, particularly while Prince William’s children remain minors.  Prince Harry’s status as a Counsellor of State while living outside the country is unusual.  It is one thing for a royal to be involved in commercial ventures as the grandson of a sovereign - as a son and brother of future sovereigns, it will be awkward.

The implementation of Brexit has removed some of the parliamentary instability of the past few years in the U.K., which caused a lot of discomfort for The Queen, particularly around prorogation (something Canadians are familiar with).  But the unity of the U.K. is at serious risk with challenges given the unhappiness in Scotland and Northern Ireland on leaving the European Union.  The Queen has always made it clear that she was crowned Queen of a United Kingdom and to this she remains committed.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have seen a lot in their long lives, including the fall of other monarchies, the breakup of countries and shifting alliances, the destruction of war, the ups and downs of politics and the comings and goings of politicians.  But it is likely that the last 18 months still had the ability to shock. 

With Prince Philip approaching his 100^th birthday in 2021 and the Queen approaching her platinum Jubilee in 2022, the palace will certainly want to turn to happier celebrations after what has been a difficult 2019 and 2020.  And the pandemic still commands all hands-on deck to show leadership and boost morale.  

Many thought that 2019 and 2020 were as challenging as the years of royal divorces in the 1990s, the fire at Windsor, the death of Diana or even the abdication of 1936.  The years ahead will be a challenge to a much smaller working family serving the Crown, from which the public continues to have high expectations.

It will be a smaller and older Royal Family which will be asked to serve the many roles the people of the Commonwealth expect.  While the Queen and the Royal Family will join everyone in bidding a not so fond farewell to the old year gone, 2021 looks to be every bit as challenging as the recent past.