There’s no question that being born with a House of Windsor silver spoon in your mouth brings a fairytale level of privilege and the sort of job security the rest of us can only dream of. But would you choose it? Really?
One glance at the succession line to the British throne shows just how vital the Wales family is to the future of the monarchy. There’s a lot of pressure on the fab five’s shoulders.
Prince William’s future is a given and 11-year-old Prince George’s options are surely limited. Barring a highly unlikely rush to a British republic, George will join his parents as a working royal and ultimately follow his father to the throne, probably after a stint in the armed forces.
When Prince Harry and Meghan quit royal life though, they showed that it is possible to walk away from the Windsors and do your own thing, even if you’re in the pivotal role of “spare to the heir”.
So, George’s siblings — Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six — could follow Uncle Harry and choose a different life entirely.
It sounds straight-forward, but it’s not.
Forging a career outside palace gates — apart from a period in the military — is a theoretical alternative for the monarch’s offspring, but even before Harry’s controversial departure, it was rarely a success.
After leaving the marines, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son Prince Edward followed his heart into the creative arts, working in theatre and then television production. But he was hounded by the media. Then, following a disastrous misstep when he pulled his family into a toe-curling reality TV game show called The Grand Knockout Tournament, Edward had to retreat back to the safer realm of full-time royal work.
Similarly, Edward’s wife Sophie — now Duchess of Edinburgh — wanted to continue running her PR business after their marriage but was famously tricked by the News of the World newspaper’s notorious “fake sheikh” reporter. Sophie was recorded making disparaging comments and embarrassing claims.
The result was that she too had to give up her day job and join the Firm. Both are now central players in King Charles’s reign.
Have times changed?
You would think times might have changed.
Today’s young royals are products of very different — more child-first — environments compared with King Charles or the late Queen’s generation.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, uses her “life’s work” of supporting intensive early years’ research projects and initiatives to advocate for nurturing children to fulfil their potential and pursue their dreams.
But can her own children have the same opportunities?
If the dreams of George, Charlotte or Louis take them away from their traditional line of work, it would leave a big hole in their father’s kingdom.
Royal biographer and UK journalist Christopher Wilson says if the current version of monarchy continues, working for the Firm is still expected of the monarch’s children.
“The royal family’s identity has taken multiple hits in recent years and William will need the service and support of all his children in the coming years to rebuild faith in the institution,” Wilson says. “William takes his dynastic responsibilities seriously and sees his main task as rebuilding the integrity and invulnerability of monarchy in Britain.”
It’s highly unlikely the Wales offspring will follow in Uncle Harry’s footsteps however tempting his sun-blessed Montecito existence may appear, Wilson believes. Nor will they be selling homemade jam like Aunty Meghan whose new business, now called As Ever, is set to launch imminently as a partnership with TV streaming giant Netflix.
“George, Charlotte and Louis have been born to the job for life. And if they did peel off unexpectedly as Harry has done, William and Kate have the experience to handle the problem,” Wilson says.
Making it outside the Firm
Having your destiny set from birth has pros and cons.
No one understood this better than Princess Anne who declined titles for her children.
Back then, before succession was inherited via gender rather than birth order, the rules for Anne’s children were slightly different. Anne’s children Peter and Zara were not born with a title because they were not the offspring of a male heir, and their father, Captain Mark Phillips, didn’t have an earldom.
Noting this their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, offered to grant them HRH, His or Her Royal Highness. It was a ranking that Anne, who was born third in line to the throne and currently sits at a withering 18th, turned down.
“I think even then it was easy to see that it was a very mixed blessing to have a title,” the Princess Royal told me in an interview in 2020.
Anne later proclaimed to Vanity Fair magazine that she thought turning down the rank was the right thing to do.
“I think it was probably easier for them,” she said of the impact on her children.
As a result, Peter Phillips and his sister Zara Tindall, who married former English rugby player Mike, don’t carry out royal engagements and nor do they get funds from the Sovereign Grant — the taxpayer purse for the royal family.
Of course they still benefit considerably from the family wealth — both siblings live in properties on their mother’s Gatcombe Park Estate in England’s green and exceedingly pleasant Cotswolds. Gatcombe is privately owned by Anne and is not Crown Estate property. It was a wedding present from her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1976. Royal Lodge in Windsor, where Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York live, remains with the Crown Estate.
On the BBC’s The Total Sport Podcast at the end of last year, Zara thanked her mum.
“From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn’t give us any titles…I really commend her on that,” she said. “We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.”
For Tindall that meant training and riding horses and following her mother to compete at the Olympics. For Phillips, competitive rugby and running his own sports entertainment agency.
It’s hardly joining the proletariat, but both have raised their own families with what Tindall believes is a healthy view of hard work and personal endeavour.
“My family has a great work ethic … which I’m hoping they instilled in me and is still going to this day. Hopefully, we can pass it onto our kids,” she said.
Seeing how successfully their cousins have fared will no doubt have influenced the children of the late Queen’s third son Edward, now Duke of Edinburgh.
As offspring of a male heir the Edinburgh children, Lady Louise and her brother James, Earl of Wessex, were born with titles. It was their parents — Edward and his wife Sophie — who decided not to use the HRH rank.
While Edward and Sophie did not make it outside the Firm — and are working royals — their children surely could choose that direction.
Giving them this option was a deliberate move by Sophie, whose father was a rubber goods sales director and her mother a charity worker.
In a 2020 interview with the Sunday Times, the Duchess of Edinburgh explained: “We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living … Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles.”
Louise is now 21 and an undergraduate at St Andrew’s University and chooses not to use the title, nor the Princess title that she could also claim. James is 17 and yet to make a decision.
“They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely,” Sophie has said.
Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother & I — the inside story of the King and our late Queen and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine — believes Louise and James will follow a similar path to the children of Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth.
“I am sure Sophie and Edward’s children will both have jobs — as Princess Margaret’s did,” she says, referring to her children David Armstrong Jones, now Lord Snowdon, and Lady Sarah Chatto who are Charles’s first cousins.
Wilson agrees: “The Edinburgh children are 16th and 17th in the order of succession, and with the way these things go, will sink further and further down the ladder as other royals above them marry and have children.
Sophie is very important to the Firm — Edward too — but their children will live … under the royal umbrella, but pretty much anonymously.”
But having a title does not automatically mean you become a working royal. In Charles’s slimmed down monarchy only 11 members are now classed as working royals.
The group includes the Queen’s elderly cousins — Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and his wife Birgitte, Prince Edward the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. It is most unlikely that these members will be replaced with Charles’s cousins down the track.
A slimmed down royal payroll
The daughters of Edward’s older brother Andrew were both raised as princesses, with their HRHs worn on their sleeves.
Andrew desperately wanted his girls to work for the royal family. But Charles didn’t envision them in his business model. It is something many consider a smart decision considering the parlous state of his brother’s reputation.
In the bizarre peerage rules a prince’s wife can be a princess, but a princess’s husband doesn’t get to be a prince. Consequently the husbands of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are not princes and their children, despite being pretty high in the succession line, have no titles.
When Queen Elizabeth II died, Harry was quick to adopt the prince and princess titles his children Archie and Lilibet were now entitled to as grandchildren of the monarch. Great grandchildren do not inherit a title.
The decision felt at odds with the choice he and Meghan made to leave the royal world and was heavily criticised.
Seward says it didn’t surprise her: “Harry and certainly Meghan wanted their kids to have the titles so they could continue to reap the benefits of their royal status in the US. Being a prince or princess in California will be a huge plus.”
That embracing of their royal status makes you wonder if there is a universe in which Archie and Lilibet might move to Britain and work with their cousins as part of the family when they grow up.
“Hell will freeze over before Archie and Lili are called on to represent the royal family, in my view,” quips Wilson, who believes adopting the prince and princess titles was “a provocative act by their parents”.
“Given their upbringing in California — so far removed culturally and geographically from Buckingham Palace — Archie and Lilibet can know little about the royal family’s history, traditions and significance,” he adds.
Of course, the monarchy itself might be different by then. “It could be just George as a figurehead monarch,” posits Seward.
Gazing into his royal crystal ball Wilson foresees a slightly different situation.
“Prince William is 42 and barring accidents will be around for the next 30 years at least, by which time George will be in his early 40s. What’s far more intriguing is if William decides to follow the example of other European monarchs to step down at retirement age and let the younger generation take over,” he believes.
“With the rationalist Kate at his elbow, I see it as a distinct possibility for William. There’s no shame attached to abdication anymore — if it’s done for the right reasons,” Wilson says.
Such an outcome may also make the job of other young royals more interesting, since they’d be higher in the pecking order.
The line to the throne
Succession of course is a different matter entirely. Whether they are working for the family or not, regal hierarchy is fixed.
Despite living in the United States, currently Harry is fifth in line to the throne with his children Archie and Lilibet, sixth and seventh. What’s more, even though Andrew has effectively been sacked and stripped of his military titles, he now sits resolutely at number eight.
Only an act of parliament can alter the succession line, which to be fair would surely kick in should unthinkable circumstances place either Harry or Andrew within a cooee of the top job.
Nevertheless, columnist for UK’s i Paper Yasmin Alibhai-Brown believes Harry has been a catalyst for change prompting his generation to think differently.
“The stiff upper lip is still very present, but I think it’s changing with the younger generation,” she says. “Harry was like a cannonball hitting everything that they have and stand for and believe.”
Out in the real world, attitudes are changing too. “I teach journalism. We talk about the royal family a lot,” Alibhai-Brown says. “Again and again, the arguments my students give me are ‘we are all equal so why should the royal children inherit these privileges?'”
Which brings us full circle. Is a royal title a privilege or a millstone?
Heir: William, Prince of Wales
William, a working royal, is the eldest child of King Charles III and Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales. He was born on June 21, 1982 and married Catherine Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, on April 29, 2011.
They have three children: George, Charlotte and Louis.
2: Prince George of Wales
George is the eldest child of Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, born on July 22, 2013. George will be expected to take on life as a working royal.
In 2011, the law stating younger brothers overtake elder sisters in the line of succession was scrapped. If George has children then the first of those children, whatever the gender, will be heir to their father’s throne.
3: Princess Charlotte of Wales
Charlotte is the second child of Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales. She was born on May 2, 2015. Charlotte will also become a working royal unless she rejects the role as her Uncle Harry has done.
4: Prince Louis of Wales
Louis is the third child and second son of Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales. He was born on April 23, 2018. The 2011 law change means his sister Charlotte sits above him in the line of succession. Louis will become a working royal unless he rejects the role as Uncle Harry has done.
5: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Harry is the second son of King Charles and Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales. He was born on September 15, 1984.
Harry married American actress Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, on May 19, 2018. His rank in the line of succession has now fallen behind the children of his brother William. Despite stepping back from royal duties and most of his royal patronages and appointments, Harry retains his titles and place in the succession line but he is no longer a working royal.
Queen Elizabeth II asked Harry and Meghan not to use their HRH titles which they have adhered to.
6: Prince Archie of Sussex
Archie is the eldest child of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. He was born on May 6, 2019.
7: Princess Lilibet of Sussex
Lilibet is the second child of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. She was born on June 4, 2021.
8: Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Andrew is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
At the time of his birth in 1960, he overtook his elder sister Princess Anne to become second in line to the throne. Andrew withdrew from public duties in November 2019 due to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and was stripped of his honorary military titles in 2022 as he defended a civil sexual assault case in the United States
He has retained his title of His Royal Highness but is not allowed to use it in an official capacity and no longer works as a royal and no longer receives public money.
9: Princess Beatrice
Beatrice is the eldest child and first daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
She married English property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on July 17, 2020.
10: Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
Sienna is the first child of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, born on September 18, 2021.
11: Athena Mapelli Mozzi
Athena is the second child of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, born January 22, 2025.
12: Princess Eugenie
Eugenie is the second child of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. She married English businessman Jack Brooksbank on October 12, 2018.
13: August Brooksbank
August is the first child of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. He was born on February 9, 2021.
14: Ernest Brooksbank
Ernest is the second child of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. He was born on May 30, 2023.
15: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Edward is the third son and fourth child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Edward is a working royal.
At the time of his birth in 1964, he overtook his elder sister Princess Anne to become third in line to the throne. Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones, now the Countess of Wessex, on June 19, 1999.
16: James, Earl of Wessex
James is the second child and eldest son of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
At the time of his birth in 2007, he overtook his elder sister Lady Louise in the line of succession.
17: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
Born in 2003, Louise is the eldest child of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
18: Princess Anne, Princess Royal
Anne is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Anne is a working royal.
At the time of her birth in 1950, she was second in line for the throne. She was superseded in the line of succession by her younger brothers Andrew and Edward. She received the title Princess Royal from the Queen in 1987.
Anne married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973 and had two children. The couple divorced in 1992, and that same year Anne married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, a former attendant to the Queen.
19: Peter Phillips
Peter Phillips is the eldest child of Princess Royal Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, born in 1977.
Peter is not a prince as his mother Princess Anne did not want him to have a royal title.
He married Canadian Autumn Kelly in 2008 and had two children, Savannah and Isla. The couple divorced in 2021.
20: Savannah Phillips
Savannah is the eldest child of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly, born in 2010.
21: Isla Phillips
Isla is the second child of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly, born in 2012.
22: Zara Tindall
Zara Tindall is the second child of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips.
She was born in 1981 and is not a princess as her mother did not want her to have a royal title. Zara married English rugby player Mike Tindall in 2011.
The couple has three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas.
23: Mia Tindall
Mia is the eldest child of Zara and Mike Tindall. She was born in 2014.
24: Lena Tindall
Lena is the second child of Zara and Mike Tindall. She was born in 2018.
25: Lucas Tindall
Lucas is the third child of Zara and Mike Tindall. He was born in 2021.
