London — Princess Anne, the younger sister of King Charles III, gave a rare interview ahead of her brother’s Saturday coronation, telling Canadian public broadcaster CBC that streamlining Britain’s royal family to make it a smaller, cheaper enterprise for U.K. taxpayers, “doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
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There had been reports that King Charles might look to reduce the number of “working” members of the royal family, and thus the cost of maintaining the monarchy, CBS News partner network BBC News reported.
When asked if a slimmed down monarchy would be a good idea, however, Anne said — without any explicit reference to the high-profile departures of both her brother, Prince Andrew, or her nephew Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, from their senior roles as working royals — that the suggestion might have been made “when there were a few more people around.”
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She noted that the world had changed, and the members of the family who still do serve official functions were getting older.
“It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing,” she said.
Anne said she and other royal family members would likely “have to shift the way we support” the new monarch, but she didn’t explain what she expected that to mean.
“My mother didn’t change very much. We kind of knew what the rhythm of the year was. So that will, things like that will change,” Anne told the CBC. “How we are part of the support for the monarchy may change slightly, who knows.”
As her brother prepares for his coronation, Princess Anne said he was likely to change very little in his new role.
“You know what you’re getting, because he’s been practicing for a bit, and I don’t think he’ll change,” Anne said. “He is committed to… his own level of service and that will remain true.”
The death of Queen Elizabeth II last year fueled conversations around the world about the role and purpose of the monarchy, especially in British Commonwealth countries where the U.K. monarch remains the official head of state.
In Canada, where the king’s sister gave her interview, a poll conducted in September showed 54% believed Canada should cut its ties with the British monarchy.
“I think it’s perfectly true that it is a moment when you need to have that discussion,” Anne said. “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 any other way.”
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