Princess Kate’s recent abdominal surgery has left a gap in the royal workload, but fear not, as there are a select few senior working Royals ready to step in and lend a helping hand.
Let’s take a closer look at who might be taking on these responsibilities during Princess Kate’s recovery.
Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Duchess Sophie are among the key senior Royals expected to step up and cover for Princess Kate while she takes the time to recuperate.
Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday afternoon that the Princess of Wales had undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic.
Her expected recovery period is up to two weeks, meaning she will not be returning to her public duties until after Easter.
Meanwhile, Prince William has cancelled his own Royal engagements to be by his wife’s side and support their three children during this time.
It’s clear that family comes first, and Prince William is doing everything he can to ensure Princess Kate receives the care and attention she needs.
In a surprising turn of events, Buckingham Palace also announced that King Charles will be undergoing surgery next week for an enlarged prostate.
While the monarch is expected to continue working from the hospital, Queen Camilla will be there to support him throughout his recovery.
It’s important to note that the monarch has a plan in place for situations like this.
The councillors of state, which include the monarch’s spouse and the next four people in line for the throne who are over 21 years old, are enlisted to represent or undertake the monarch’s duties in case of illness or absence abroad.
Currently, these individuals are the Queen, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice.
However, not all members of the royal family can act as councillors of state.
Only those who are actively working within the firm are eligible.
This means that Prince Harry and Prince Andrew are excluded from this role.
With that said, there are only a handful of senior working royals available to take on the workload until both the monarch and Princess Kate are back in good health.
One such royal is the Princess Royal, who was crowned the hardest-working royal in 2023 after completing a staggering 457 royal engagements.