Current:Home > MyKing Charles' sister Princess Anne says streamlining the royal family "doesn't sound like a good idea" -AssetScope
King Charles' sister Princess Anne says streamlining the royal family "doesn't sound like a good idea"
View
Date:2025-04-17 04:34:06
London — Princess Anne, the younger sister of King Charles III, gave a rare interview ahead of her brother's Saturday coronation, telling Canadian public broadcaster CBC that streamlining Britain's royal family to make it a smaller, cheaper enterprise for U.K. taxpayers, "doesn't sound like a good idea."
- King Charles III's coronation: The schedule and how to watch the ceremony
There had been reports that King Charles might look to reduce the number of "working" members of the royal family, and thus the cost of maintaining the monarchy, CBS News partner network BBC News reported.
When asked if a slimmed down monarchy would be a good idea, however, Anne said — without any explicit reference to the high-profile departures of both her brother, Prince Andrew, or her nephew Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, from their senior roles as working royals — that the suggestion might have been made "when there were a few more people around."
- Who has been invited to King Charles III's coronation?
She noted that the world had changed, and the members of the family who still do serve official functions were getting older.
"It doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing," she said.
Anne said she and other royal family members would likely "have to shift the way we support" the new monarch, but she didn't explain what she expected that to mean.
"My mother didn't change very much. We kind of knew what the rhythm of the year was. So that will, things like that will change," Anne told the CBC. "How we are part of the support for the monarchy may change slightly, who knows."
As her brother prepares for his coronation, Princess Anne said he was likely to change very little in his new role.
"You know what you're getting, because he's been practicing for a bit, and I don't think he'll change," Anne said. "He is committed to… his own level of service and that will remain true."
The death of Queen Elizabeth II last year fueled conversations around the world about the role and purpose of the monarchy, especially in British Commonwealth countries where the U.K. monarch remains the official head of state.
In Canada, where the king's sister gave her interview, a poll conducted in September showed 54% believed Canada should cut its ties with the British monarchy.
"I think it's perfectly true that it is a moment when you need to have that discussion," Anne said. "But I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long-term stability that is actually quite hard to come by any other way."
- In:
- King Charles III
- British Royal Family
- Prince Harry Duke of Sussex
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Prince Andrew
- Coronation
Haley Ott is an international reporter for CBS News based in London.
TwitterveryGood! (73)
Related
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Do Hundreds of Other Gas Storage Sites Risk a Methane Leak Like California’s?
- IVF Has Come A Long Way, But Many Don't Have Access
- Duchess Sophie and Daughter Lady Louise Windsor Are Royally Chic at King Charles III's Coronation
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Sea Level Rise Is Accelerating: 4 Inches Per Decade (or More) by 2100
- These Candidates See Farming as a Climate Solution. Here’s What They’re Proposing.
- How to Watch King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla’s Coronation on TV and Online
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Montana health officials call for more oversight of nonprofit hospitals
Ranking
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Jim Hines, first sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds, dies at 76
- Judge Elizabeth Scherer allowed her emotions to overcome her judgment during Parkland school shooting trial, commission says
- Scientists debate how lethal COVID is. Some say it's now less risky than flu
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- 71-year-old retired handyman wins New York's largest-ever Mega Millions prize
- At Freedom House, these Black men saved lives. Paramedics are book topic
- CNN chief executive Chris Licht has stepped down
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Recalled Boppy baby lounger now linked to at least 10 infant deaths
Dirtier Than Coal? Under Fire, Institute Clarifies Its Claim About Biomass
Ten States Aim for Offshore Wind Boom in Alliance with Interior Department
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Montana health officials call for more oversight of nonprofit hospitals
As ‘Epic Winds’ Drive California Fires, Climate Change Fuels the Risk
Why King Charles III Didn’t Sing British National Anthem During His Coronation