Prince Charles and Prince William to Hold Summit to Reshape Monarchy

Following a series of storms that have hit the royal family, Prince Charles and Prince William are set to hold a summit to discuss the future of the monarchy for the next two generations.

The two heirs to the throne will meet in consultation with the Queen to decide how many full-time working members of the royal family should have, who they should be, and what they should do.

This comes after the end of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's review period in February and amid the decline of Prince Philip's health while he was in hospital.

Her Majesty is said to have stressed the importance of this matter.

Sources told the Telegraph that all personal duties must be decided together because they are closely linked.

Prince Charles is said to be taking the lead in the talks due to him becoming king first and because any immediate decisions will impact his reign.

He is understood to have wanted his son, Prince William, involved every step of the way for major policies that affect him when he inherits the throne.

The passing of the Duke of Edinburgh at the age of 99 has left behind hundreds of patronages to be passed down, including his title.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's work will also be redistributed after they quit as working royals more than a year ago.

Prince Andrew, who stepped back from royal duties following a newsnight interview over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, also has some roles and military titles which need to be allocated.

Currently, around 15 members of the royal family take part in more than 3,000 royal duties each year.

A Telegraph report said Charles and William, with the help of the Queen, would now have to decide whether the monarchy should continue with its traditional model of thousands of annual engagements, spread over a broad base of full-time and part-time working royals, or cut the number of engagements and patronages and use fewer members of the family.

The newspaper's source said, “The question is whether you start off by deciding how many patronages and engagements there should be and then work out how many people are needed to achieve them, or whether you decide how many people there should be, which will dictate how many engagements and patronages they can take on.”

The Queen's youngest child, Prince Edward, and wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, are expected to take over from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after Buckingham Palace confirmed last month they would not return following a 12-month review.

It is known that Charles has long favoured a streamlined monarchy modelled around a core of seven: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Prince William and his wife Catherine, and Prince Harry.