Feuding princes: Prince Andrew battles Prince Charles over slimmed down monarchy

Harmony within the walls of the Buckingham Palace has been disrupted, and the culprit...

13:31 31 July 2012

Harmony within the walls of the Buckingham Palace has been disrupted, and the culprit is a growing feud between Prince Charles and his younger brother Prince Andrew. 

 

Sources say that Andrew was heard complaining about the Prince of Wales at a cocktail party. The younger prince was telling a senior figure how Charles was pushing him and other members of the Royal Family to the margins of royal life, reducing their roles and putting restrictions on what royal duties they are allowed to carry out. 

 

The ‘other members of the family’ that Prince Andrew was referring to include his own daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who he points out as the only two ‘blood princesses’ of their generation. 

 

These changes, he believes, are not caused by the Queen and Prince Philip, but by his older brother. Charles, 64, is believed to be running the show even with the Queen still on the throne, especially after the Jubilee. 

 

A senior figure in the monarchy explains: “Charles was to be allowed to begin to initiate some of the changes in style he would want when he becomes king.” So even if Prince Charles doesn't become king for many years, he can begin implementing his plans as early as now. His plans is reportedly centered on a ‘slimmed down monarchy’ that is more appropriate for the modern world. 

 

This slimmed down monarchy will leave only the principal players of the royal family in royal positions. The changes have obviously begun considering how the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee played out. Instead of having the balcony filled by the entire Royal Family for the RAF flypast salute as tradition dictates, this year, the balcony contained only six people: the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne were informed ahead of time that they would not be required to join the Queen on the balcony.