RICHARD PALMER: As Kate’s absence leaves a gaping hole in the monarchy… what Harry and Meghan could learn from the quiet royals who are keeping The Firm going

The Palace’s announcement last week that the Princess of Wales will not attend the traditional rehearsal of Trooping the Color was not a particular surprise.

As much as I am sure she cherishes her role as Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Guards and would have been happy to attend the formal review of ‘her’ troops on June 8, Kate will be happy to concentrate on her recovery. she continues cancer treatment.

Her absence will once again leave a gaping hole in the hearts of the royal family. It remains unclear whether she will brighten everyone’s spirits by joining her family for the actual event on June 15.

We’ll have King Charles, who continues his own cancer treatment, waving from the balcony of Buckingham Palace – but he won’t appear on horseback as in previous years. That’s no surprise either. Over the past few months, as His Majesty’s government has been thrown off course by illness, it has been the quieter royals who have kept the business afloat.

Prince William and Kate – who will not attend this year’s traditional Trooping the Color rehearsal – wave alongside their children and King Charles and Queen Camilla at the event in June last year

Harry and Meghan with Charles for Trooping the Color in 2018

It’s been years since Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh – Edward and Sophie – and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have been the center of so much attention. Queen Camilla, once vilified by much of the public, is now taking center stage and even non-working relatives on the fringes of the royal family – such as Princess Beatrice – are attracting attention.

Last month, William, who has now returned to work on a limited basis while his wife continues her treatment, invited Beatrice and some of his other royal cousins ​​– Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall and her husband Mike – to help him find a Buckingham Palace to organize. garden party. It was a timely demonstration of how the ‘other’ royals can play their roles. Neither cousin is likely to ever become a taxpayer-funded working royal, but they have proven they can step in every now and then to support the institution.

Had they not left the monarchy in 2020, Harry and Meghan would have been key figures in this troubled period – and others now in the foreground might not even have played a role.

In fact, their attitude could certainly teach the Sussexes – ensconced in their California mansion – a thing or two. It also stands in contrast to the Prince and Princess of Wales, who have been advocating for years a style that involves fewer public outings but a lot of attention on social media.

Kate will be happy to focus on her recovery as she continues cancer treatment

Nothing better illustrates the dramatic change in fortunes for some in the Firm than the prominent role now played by Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. As Colonel of the Scots Guards, he will proudly ride through to the Horse Guards Parade at Trooping the Colour, in all his finery. He even rehearsed for the lead role with his disgraced brother.

Andrew, who remains banned from public life following the fallout from his relationship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, gained experience during his two appearances at Trooping – in 2018 and 2019 – in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle.

Ten years ago, senior royal aides told me that the view in the palace was that neither Edward, his wife Sophie, nor Andrew would play a role if Charles became king. But 60-year-old Edward, who famously quit the Royal Marines in 1987 after a third of 12 months of commando training, has seen his star rise dramatically – while Andrew’s has plummeted.

When Edward took over as colonel of the Scots Guards from the Duke of Kent (another stoic hard worker) in April, a defense source described him as effectively the king’s number two in William’s absence. They said, ‘He has been very well received in the army. He pays a lot of attention to his work and is loved. I think people are starting to see the work he is doing in support of the king.”

Wife Sophie, 59, recently became the first member of the royal family to visit war-torn Ukraine and regularly attends engagements both with and without her husband. She is another silent asset who is doing her part.

In a new reign with so much emphasis on strengthening the monarchy through the King’s efforts to encourage action on climate change or food waste, and on William and Kate’s campaigns to end homelessness or give children a better start in life to give life, the other royals will represent a continued belief in more traditional royal duties.

Sophie, 59, recently became the first member of the royal family to visit war-torn Ukraine. Pictured with President Zelensky

Perhaps the best advocate for this is Princess Anne, who has helped keep the show going by taking on a third of the family’s official duties in the first four months of the year. After returning from a three-day visit to Norway last month, she didn’t stand still. Less than 24 hours later, Anne attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace on the same day she visited a sailing club in Gosport.

This last assignment received no attention whatsoever from seasoned royal correspondents like me. But Anne doesn’t care about praise and praise. She can easily skip five or six events a day, shake hands, listen to volunteers keep a community service going, say “good job, keep it up,” and quickly move on to the next visit.

Princess Anne meets guests at the Sovereign’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution garden party at Buckingham Palace in May

In an interview with Vanity Fair to mark her 70th birthday three years ago, Princess Anne championed what some might deride as her “ribbon-cutting style” of popping in to visit charity shops, hospitals and community swimming pools and doing the usual things. to celebrate. people who keep this country running.

She suggested that the younger generation of royals may be in too much of a hurry to change the Firm’s tried and tested approach, describing herself as “the boring old fart in the back who says ‘don’t forget the basics'”. Nowadays they’re much more looking for, “Oh, let’s do it in a new way.” And I’m already at the “Please don’t reinvent the wheel” stage… We’ve been there and done that. Some of these things don’t work. Maybe you should go back to basics.’

William and Kate’s more selective approach to royal duties and their passionate campaigning could be something that will appeal to younger people and make the monarchy more relevant. It is something that needs to be supported.

But it seems clear that in the future the firm will need royals like Anne, Edward, Sophie and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester to cover the hard yards. Under a future King Willem V in about twenty years’ time, it is not easy to see who that could be. By then, the working royal family might consist of William, Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis. Many more charities and other organizations will have to forego royal support unless someone is willing to do the hard work.