In March 2021, Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah sparked debate regarding the possibility of abolishing the monarchy.
Queen Elizabeth passed away at Balmoral Castle on Thursday. She was 96 years old.
Charles, the eldest son of the Queen, will succeed to the throne.
If the monarchy were to cease to exist, King Charles III would be required to relinquish Buckingham Palace.
Like the Sussexes, Kate Middleton and Prince William would want financial independence.
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The past couple of years have certainly been turbulent for the British royal family.
Thursday, at the age of 96, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, upending the royal succession. Charles III, the eldest son of the Queen, will ascend to the throne.
Before that, though, the royal family was embroiled in a number of controversies.
Prince Andrew’s role in the Jeffrey Epstein affair, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s departure from the royal family, and the couple’s claims that their son was subjected to racism within the royal household have prompted the question of how long the monarchy can continue.
Insider’s Samantha Grindell previously reported that King Charles III’s popularity had declined in the United Kingdom after Harry and Markle’s Oprah interview, in which it was revealed that he stopped receiving Harry’s calls in 2020.
Due to the family’s past and present problems, Nadine Batchelor-Hunt, a political correspondent for JOE.co.uk, said that the royals are “growing increasingly out of place in contemporary society.”
She stated, “The moment has arrived to eliminate the monarchy.”
While other nations, such as Greece and Bulgaria, have dissolved their monarchs in a public referendum, royal critic Marlene Koenig says the procedure is more complicated than most people realize.
“It would require legislation, an act of Parliament, and the Sovereign’s signature to abolish the monarchy,” Koenig, a royal specialist for History Extra, told Insider before.
However, Koenig noted, “the monarchy will not be abolished any time soon.”
She explained, “There are no protests and the republican movement is small.” The political structure is stable.
That is not to argue, however, that things might never change if there were a larger need for Britain to contemplate the future of the monarchy.
Here is what would happen to the royal family if there were no monarchy.
The King would vacate Buckingham Palace, but he would retain several of his other royal residences.
Since 1837, Buckingham Palace has been the official working and living headquarters of British monarchs. It includes 775 rooms, the majority of which are for private use, and will be used by the King to conduct state banquets and meetings with government officials and foreign leaders.
It is also a popular venue for numerous significant occasions, such as royal wedding receptions and the annual Trooping the Colour birthday procession for the King.
On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge exchanged their first kiss as husband and wife.
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press courtesy of Getty Images
The palace was typically open to the public during the summer, when Her Majesty was on vacation at Balmoral Castle. If the King were to officially vacate the palace, it may become a permanent tourist attraction.
The palace is owned by the Crown Estate, of which Queen Elizabeth was the owner during her reign. Nonetheless, this would alter if the next King was no longer Head of State, according to the official website of the Crown Estate.
The website states, “The Crown Estate is owned by the Monarch in right of the Crown.”
This means that the Queen owns the property by virtue of her status as reigning monarch for as long as she remains on the throne, as will her successor.
The Queen would also have handed up Windsor Castle (her Easter palace) and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, both of which are owned by the Crown (her Edinburgh residence).
The Windsor Castle
Tim Graham Image Collection/Getty Images
According to Koenig, the Queen also privately owned Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands and the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where she spent Christmas and New Year’s every year. Consequently, it is probable that she would have selected one of these as her new permanent dwelling.
According to Koenig, this is not an uncommon condition for royal family of defunct monarchies.
“The majority of former German royal families remained in their residences,” she remarked. Some property was confiscated, but others, notably the Kaiser family, were compensated.
Prince William and Kate would pursue financial independence in imitation of Prince Harry and Meghan.
If the monarchy were abolished, it is probable that King Charles, who is 73 years old, would retire from public life.
The younger generation of royals, including Kate Middleton and Prince William, are more likely to follow Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s example and pursue their own jobs.
During their interview with Oprah, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said that the royal family cut them off financially at the start of 2020, forcing them to rely on Harry’s inheritance from Princess Diana.
Since then, the Sussexes have inked huge contracts with Spotify and Netflix, as well as Harry Walker Speaking Agency.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle attend the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum.
Getty
The Mirror was informed by a public relations expert that the pair might make up to $1.3 billion (£1 billion) through corporate deals and brand ambassador duties.
Meanwhile, Markle narrated the 2020 premiere of the Disney Plus documentary “Elephant.”
Naturally, it is only a matter of conjecture as to whether Middleton and William would undertake comparable labor to Harry and Markle if obliged to seek private jobs.
They possess comparable skills to the Sussexes. Currently, they administer their own organization, “The Royal Foundation,” where they frequently deliver speeches at charity dinners and events.
They have experience with voice-over work, like Markle. In 2019, Middleton, William, Harry, and Markle narrated an advertisement for mental health directed by Richard Curtis.
As Koenig stated, it is improbable that the monarchy will be abolished.
Despite this, it is important to remember that royal specialists believe the possibility of the monarchy being dissolved is quite low.
Although royal author Nigel Cawthorne previously told Insider that Harry and Markle’s departure will “severely hurt” the monarchy in the long run, the majority of experts believe that nothing will change.
“As an institution, the monarchy is entirely about the monarch and her direct heirs,” noted royal journalist Robert Jobson. “The Sussexes are well-liked, although their role in state affairs is minimal.”
Koenig reiterated Jobson’s remarks. She stated that the only members of the royal family with a constitutional role are the monarch and the heir apparent.
If the monarchy ceased to exist, it is evident that the royal family would still be able to thrive, whether through private property or business transactions.
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