Princess Anne: The slimmed-down monarchy doesnt sound like a good idea

Ahead of Saturday’s coronation, Princess Anne gave a very rare television interview to CBC, the Canadian network. As it turns out, she also gave this interview ahead of what will be Anne’s first tour/trip to Canada during her brother’s reign (she’s going later this month). She was interviewed by Adrienne Arsenault about the future of the monarchy, the “slimmed-down monarchy,” and what she’ll be wearing for the coronation, especially given that her brother appointed her as his Gold Stick in Waiting (some kind of archaic bodyguard position). Some highlights:

At the coronation, she’ll ride in uniform with the Household Cavalry unit. “I have a role as the colonel of the Blues and Royals in the Household Cavalry regiment as the Gold Stick [in Waiting], and Gold Stick was the original clothed protection officer. That is a role I was asked if I would like to do for this coronation, so I said yes, not least of all, it solves my dress problem.”

How Charles is adjusting to being king. “Well, you know what you’re getting because he’s been practicing for a bit, and I don’t think he’ll change. You know, he is committed to his own level of service, and that will remain true.”

Senior royals are figuring out what they need to change. “For the rest of us, it’s more a question of, we have to shift the way we support, and that’s what we need to do. There was an order to the years, because my mother didn’t change very much. We knew what the rhythm of the year was, so things like that will change.”

On the relevancy of the monarchy: “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 any other way.”

On the idea of a “slimmed-down monarchy.” “Well, I think the slim down was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment. [The world] changes a bit. I mean, it doesn’t sound like a good idea, from where I’m standing, I have to say. I’m not quite sure what else we can do.”

[From People & Vanity Fair]

“I think the slim down was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment…” Most people are taking this as a reference to the Sussexes, which is weird. The “slimmed down monarchy” plan was bandied around while the Sussexes were working royals, and while Charles always emphasized that Harry and Meghan were part of the slim-down, the Windsors certainly didn’t treat them that way. In fact, when Harry and Meghan offered to still work for the monarchy in 2020, they were shut down. Oh well! As for Anne disagreeing about the slim-down… it was never going to affect her either way, she was always going to do her work and be very important to Charles.

Additionally, British and American media didn’t pay much attention to this clip and Anne’s statements here, but Omid Scobie posted this – Anne speaking about her brother authorizing some research into the monarchy’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Her reaction is utterly bizarre.

During her @CBC interview, Princess Anne was reluctant to discuss King Charles’s decision to support research into the the Royal Family’s historical links with transatlantic slavery: pic.twitter.com/ondezlYvSU

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) May 2, 2023

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, Cover Images.

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