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Robyn Morris

Royal Family 'on the brink of collapse' as King Charles 'risks becoming too distant'

Royal Family

The Royal Family is in danger of 'collapsing' following a drop off in the number of public engagements, a new report has claimed.


Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, King Charles became monarch. But according to a new report, the Royal Family is "on the brink of collapse."

The report says that King Charles risks becoming "too distant" from the nation after a drop off in the number of public engagements carried out by the Royal Family.

The report, from thinktank Civitas, claims death, scandal, and resignation are to blame for a 40 percent drop in engagements in the past decade.

The King and Princess Anne are the "hardest working" royals, carrying out the most engagements between 2012 and 2022, based on data compiled by retired insurance broker Tim O'Donovan.

(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Princess Anne, 72, has been named the hardest-working royal in recent years, and the report says that family members over the age of 70 - such as Anne and King Charles - are responsible for the greatest share of engagements and suggests that younger royals, such as Zara Tindall and Princess Beatrice, should step up.

Frank Young, the Civitas report’s author, told the Sunday Express, “The Royal family as we know it is on the brink of collapse and risks abolishing itself by stealth if the King doesn’t take steps to boost visits that have fallen radically over the last decade.

"Through death, scandal, and resignation the Royal family is increasingly reliant on a few hard-working members, with Charles, Anne, and Edward, doing almost half the work."

He added, "We now need new working royals or will have to accept a Royal Family that is more distant from the people than at any time in the past 100 years."

(Image credit: Getty)

Referencing the King's plans for a slimmed-down monarchy, Frank suggests that this may not be the best plan. He said, "The King’s ambition might be misplaced and potentially misjudges the true public mood."

The Royal Family has hugely changed over the last few years. In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they were stepping away from royal duties and moving their growing family to Canada. A few months later, they moved to California - where they still reside.

A year later, in 2021, Prince Philip, who had been a huge part of the Royal Family since marrying the then-Princess Elizabeth back in 1947, sadly died.

And the biggest change came last year, when the Queen passed away at Balmoral in September 2022, meaning her eldest son King Charles became King. One thing that might improve the public mood towards the Royal Family is King Charles's Coronation which will take place on May 6, with the UK enjoying an extra bank holiday to celebrate.

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