Queen Elizabeth has unveiled what the "new firm" of working royal family members will look like in 2021, and it's not going to include Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew.
According to Daily Mirror, Her Majesty has agreed to just eight senior members of The Firm, who will be attending royal engagements or performing their full duties from next year and onwards. Royal courtiers are reportedly eager to set up more joint engagements for the solid eight members as soon as possible.
The senior royals were photographed as a group during their reunion with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. Joining Her Majesty were the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Princess Royal.
The Daily Mirror further reported that it was Queen Elizabeth's idea to gather the senior royals at Windsor Castle. The reunion is also a show of support for Prince William and Kate Middleton, who capped off their Royal Train Tour on that same day.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as the Duke of York, are no longer officially part of the Firm after they gave up their senior royal status and stepped back in March 2020 and November 2019, respectively. Harry and Meghan decided to pursue their own financially independent life in the United States, while Andrew had to quit his public duties amid his controversy and connection to the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of Edinburgh, on the other hand, is no longer on the line-up as well since his retirement in 2017. At 99 years old, the Queen's husband has rarely been out in public except for family affairs such as the wedding of his granddaughter, Princess Beatrice.
A royal insider stated that the Queen informed the new firm that they need to "make up for lost time" in 2021 and increase their visibility in public. The working royals had to limit their in-person engagements this year due to the pandemic.
The new line-up comes as Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, has been rumored for years with plans of streamlining the number of working royals. The Prince of Wales doesn't want royal family members down the line of succession to have access to public funds, amid criticisms of their opulent lifestyle.
According to royal financial expert David McClure, the best way to lessen public expenditures and to cut cost is to trim down the working royals. McClure said that Queen Elizabeth's cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra, as well as Her Majesty's York grandchildren, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, will not be part of The Firm.
