King Charles has been issued a warning about the historical grand scale of the royal frontline, with one author describing it as a "misstep".Dr. Ed Owens, author of After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?, has told Daily Express US plans to slim down the monarchy would buck this trend - but cause them new concerns.
In an exclusive interview, Owens said: “The Royal Family was much grander, bigger, and part of the survival strategy of the monarchy from the earliest [was] in all these aspects of life, which I argue in the book was a misstep, because what it did was left the family open to accusations of royal over-expenditure.
“The British monarchy is the most expensive monarchy in Europe. At a time when the British public is extremely concerned about costs, because of inflation and cost of living prices, it would serve the monarchy well to focus on a core group of royals and would not have to pay for both the expected upkeep and expensive activity of this wider family.”
However, he feels they are now actually at risk of being spread "too thin".
Owens compares King Charles’s reign to that of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, saying: “The current monarchy already finds itself slimmed down, partly because of happenstance, what’s happened with Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew, and it’s clearly unable to fulfil the range of a role that defines the reign of Elizabeth II.
"It’s less that they’re overworked, it’s that they’re spread too thin in terms of the range of activities that they’re trying to convene and this is a concern.”
Princess Anne, Charles' sister, has voiced her opinion on a slimmed down monarchy, telling CNN: “I don’t think it’s a good idea."
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Also, she believes it was something that was said in a day "where there were a few more people around to justify the term”.
Owens has researched the topic, adding: "I argue in the book, that the monarchy needs to rethink its role as part of the modern nation. That it needs to do less. And it needs to do less in a better way. It needs to focus its attention on certain key areas, rather than trying to spread itself so thinly that it’s not clear exactly what this monarchy stands for anymore."
In additions to his criticism, he offers suggestions: “I would prefer to see a frontline of the major royals combined of the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales. There isn’t a great love for other members of the family. Opinion poll after opinion poll reveals that they the former Wessexes, now Edinburghs, are not very well known, they are not very well liked. Princess Anne still has a lot of public support and interest, but she’s really the exception to the rule.”
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