It might be the start of a new year, but some things never change. Whether it is political uncertainty, rising taxes, or Harry & Meghan still ‘telling their story’, 2023 promises much of the same as 2022 – the same being true for The Royal Family.
Over the years, a small group of royals have continued to fill the gaps left in the royal diary by the departures of the Duke of York, the Duke & Duchess of Sussex, and the late Queen Elizabeth from the working rooster.
Supporting The King and the Prince of Wales in their duties, these royals are the new ‘Fab Four’, and often go unrecognised in their work.
Her Majesty The Queen
Since September 8, Camilla has held the title of Her Majesty The Queen, yet the 75-year-old royal’s work often goes under-appreciated in many people’s minds.
Since she first started taking up royal duties almost 20 years ago when se was Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla has quietly, yet dutifully, carried out thousands of royal engagements in that time.
Throughout her life, Camilla has prioritised supporting groups and organisations that provide support to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Her Majesty has also always been a voracious reader and has long supported groups championing literacy at all ages.
Following on from her husband’s accession to the throne, Queen Camilla’s duties have changed dramatically.
Despite being well past the retirement age, Her Majesty as busy now as ever, and is The King’s number one supporter.
The Princess of Wales
Little over 24 hours after the death of Queen Elizabeth in September, King Charles announced that the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge would become the Prince & Princess of Wales, a title sources say Catherine was honoured to have.
This role is entirely different to the one she held only a matter of months ago. She is now a Queen in waiting, and in the year ahead, we will see the early roots of Catherine’s plans for her royal career blossom.
In her short time as Princess of Wales, Her Royal Highness has continued to focus on her specific areas of interest: early years, mental health, arts and sports, addiction issues and maternal health, and there have been hints at expanding this work in 2023.
Catherine has always been destined for an important role within the Royal Family. As a future Queen herself and the mother of a future King, her place in history is already secured. It is what she chooses to do with her platform, with this crucial role she plays as Princess of Wales, that will determine how she is remembered.
With the Royal Family in need of modernising, Catherine’s ‘normal’ background gives her the best footing to set a new course, to take on the title of Princess of Wales and differentiate it from the glitz and glamour of her late mother-in-law, and to see the fruits of her labour, planted over the decade she spent as Duchess of Cambridge, bloom.
The Princess Royal
Never has there been a member of The Royal Family more under-appreciated than the Princess Royal, although truth be told, she wouldn’t likely have it any other way!
Quietly and without fuss, Princess Anne carries out many hundreds of engagements each year – far more than any other member of our ‘Fab Four’.
Aged 72, Her Royal Highness conducted a grand total of 463 engagements in 2022, second only to His Majesty The King, who carried out 507.
The Princess Royal often carries out the engagements that don’t have the glitz or the glamour that would make it on to the newspaper front pages.
But her work is the very bread and butter of the monarchy, with the King’s sister being involved with over 300 charities.
Having conducted her first public engagement in 1969 at the age of 18, Princess Anne has dedicated her entire life to royal duties.
For the last five decades, she was one of her mother’s greatest supporters. Going forward, we can be sure she will be one of her brother’s greatest assets.
The Countess of Wessex
The Earl and Countess of Wessex continued to be stalwart supporters of The Queen throughout the majority of 2022 and performed equally in support of King Charles III by the year’s end.
Edward and Sophie work tirelessly in support of their causes, travelling the world and within the United Kingdom to champion the Royal Family.
It is the Countess in particular who makes up the final member of our ‘Fab Four’.
In 2022, Sophie travelled the world in support of Queen Elizabeth II and the causes she cares so much about.
In the past 12 months, she has visited Qatar, the United States, the Caribbean, the Republic of the Congo, Botswana and Malawi.
As other working members of The Royal Family reach an advancing age, it is likely that the Countess of Wessex will continue to play an important role in promoting the Royal Family and the United Kingdom abroad.
