The monarchy will be smaller and more informal under King Charles, Gordon Brown has said. The former prime minister told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “I think that what Prince Charles has already indicated is that the monarchy will be smaller.
“It’s going to be more like a Scandinavian monarchy in the future – but not in a bad way – more informal. He stopped as he entered Buckingham Palace and talked to people in the crowd, and that was a signal that he was sending that he wanted people to feel that he was approachable.”
Theresa May has said she believes the monarchy will change gradually under King Charles.
The former prime minster told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “If you look at the royal family, they have been steadily evolving a different approach, a different way of doing things over time and I am sure King Charles will continue to take that forward.
“Of course, he is a different person and he may want to change things in some ways but I think, critically, as the Queen did, any change in the way things are done would be done gradually and very carefully.
“I think they (the public) will expect that sense of continuity, but also that sense that the world has been changing, continues to change, so a willingness to evolve alongside that.
“I think that what they will hope and what they will get is that deep interest in people which Her Majesty had and King Charles, I believe, has that too – a deep concern for people.”
Plans under the title Operation Golden Orb outline the various roles and responsibilities the dramatically reshuffled British monarchy will take following Queen Elizabeth's death on Thursday. It has been reported previously how Charles has long planned to trim down the number of active royals, and even potentially open Buckingham Palace to the public more often.
The new king could move into a new official residence at the London palace, while his permanent home at Highgrove will become a family home.
Charles is said to be keen on revising the amount of property owned by the Royals, with his coronation also projected to be shorter, cheaper and less ostentatious. The public are likely to see fewer royals from official appearances.
The Telegraph's Royal Insight has previously outlined major changes in the next chapter of the monarchy.
"There's this sense that he wants a slimmed down monarchy to make sure that everybody is doing their bit and [there are] no so-called hangers-on," writes Camilla Tominey.
The main working royals would include King Charles, Camilla as Queen consort, William, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Princess Anne.
Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will also serve the King.
Prince Andrew meanwhile has been retired from public life while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have relinquished their duties.
It's also well known that Charles may plan to open sections of Buckingham Palace and even Balmoral to the public - proposals which were said to have not gone down well with the late Queen.
Royal commentator Neil Sean said the Queen had not been keen on the plans, wanting the palace to remain a "family home of sorts".
