Princess Anne says ‘slimmed down’ monarchy isn’t ‘a good idea’

Princess Anne warns that “slimming down” the monarchy after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s “Megxit” and Prince Andrew’s controversies could be detrimental.

In an interview with Canada’s CBC News, Princess Anne, 72, was asked about the idea of a “slimmed down” monarchy.

The Princess Royal shared that the concept was originally proposed “when there were a few more people around.”

But now, with Harry, 38, and Markle, 41, out, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip both passed away, and Prince Andrew stripped of his royal title, Princess Anne doesn’t think there’s any good reason to slim the royal family down even further.

“It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I would say. I’m not quite sure what else we can do,” she said.

Princess Anne also defended the crown after recent polling suggested that there are fewer people who would like to see the monarchy live on amid the viral #AbolishTheMonarchy movement.

The late Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter said that “there will be [conversation], everywhere” about the relevance of the polling, and that the coronation of King Charles will give the public a moment to ponder the relevance of the monarchy.

“It’s not a conversation I would necessarily have. I think it’s perfectly true that it is a moment where you need to have that discussion but I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long-term stability, that is actually quite hard to come by in any other way,” Anne argued.

The princess suggested that the media doesn’t reflect on all the community work the royal family does.

“I think so often we get the chance to see communities and the people who do things really well and are very generous with their time in a way that, if you look at the media, you tend not to get that impression,” Princess Anne said.

She added that the royal family does not “need to deal with” the monarchy’s global popularity since “it is the monarch that is key to this, and the constitution that underpins the monarchy.”

“We as a family see ourselves there to support that role. What we do, we hope, contributes to the monarchy and the way which it can convey continuity of, not just interest, but service and understanding, and the way that people and communities want to live their lives,” she said.

Princess Anne shared her thoughts on what her older brother Charles will be like as a monarch.

“Well, you know what you’re getting because he’s been practicing for a bit and I don’t think he’ll change,” she said of King Charles, who was the longest serving Prince of Wales, holding that title for 64 years and 44 days. “He is committed to his own level of service and that will remain true.”

While Charles might not change, Anne believes there will be a change in how the royal family supports him as a monarch.

“My mother was the queen for a very long time. And although you kind of know that this might happen, you don’t really think about it very much — not least of all because the monarchy is about continuity,” she said. “For the rest of us, it’s more a question of, OK, we have to shift the way we support. And that’s what we need to do.”

The interview comes just five days before King Charles’ coronation on May 6. Princess Anne will be part of the coronation procession as the Gold-Stick-in-Waiting.