Last week was a momentous one for the royal family, who have been commemorating the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II on 21 April. It has also been a week which demonstrated the family's enduring strength in her absence – but also its fragility.
We saw the royals mark the centenary at various events around London, with the King and Queen viewing an exhibition of the late monarch's clothes, Princess Anne officially opening a new memorial garden in Regent's Park in London, and the remaining working royals welcoming centenarians to Buckingham Palace for tea and cake.
The reception, in the palace's Marble Hall, gave us a snapshot of the King's new slimmed-down monarchy as it is now – a very different line-up to the one the late Queen presided over in her lifetime.
© Getty ImagesAn official portrait of the remaining working members of the family showed them significantly diminished in number. With the Duke and Duchess of Sussex missing, along with the former Duke of York, who is now living in exile with these royal titles removed, there remained just 11 in the group.
These included the late Queen's cousins; the 90-year-old Duke of Kent, 89-year-old Princess Alexandra, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who are 81 and 79 respectively.
The core group of working royals is now more slimmed down than even the King could have anticipated when he started a few years ago, and where he saw the institution moving during his reign.
In time, it will fall to the younger members – in particular the Prince and Princess of Wales and eventually their children – to keep the show on the road.
But this week was a chance for the family to show that they can be smaller, but still effective, in continuing Elizabeth's legacy following her death in September 2022.
© Getty ImagesThe King, accompanied by Queen Camilla, appeared on great form, and Charles chatted to a woman who shared her 100th birthday with his mother.
William and Catherine expertly worked their way around the room, wishing their guests a happy hundredth birthday. Catherine warmly hugged one elderly man, showing her natural ability to connect with people of all ages.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceThe Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh – always reliable – showed up too, while Princess Anne, regarded as the hardest working member of the family, opened the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden, a sustainable space where the public can find peace and tranquility.
Charles spoke for everyone when he shared a video message with the nation, paying tribute to his "darling mama" and urging people to follow her example of being optimistic in the face of troubling times. "I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail and that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon," he said.
It was an uplifting sentiment and a reminder of the impact of the life and legacy of our longest-reigning monarch.
Sussex controversy
Last week also saw controversy around Harry and Meghan's Australian tour rumbling on, specifically the question of whether they should be profiting from their royal titles.
© Getty ImagesIt's an issue which was central to the Sandringham Summit of 2020, when the late Queen told Harry there could be no "half-in, half-out" arrangement when it came to being working members of the royal family.
Harry and Meghan had announced they wanted to carve out "progressive new roles" within the institution and pursue financial independence while still carrying out charity work. But his grandmother said that wasn't possible, and the couple decided to leave.
I was reminded of Her late Majesty's words last week as Meghan carried out charity and other public engagements Down Under, while advertising the outfits she was wearing on the AI driven shopping platform OneOff, in which she holds a stake.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesIt was exactly the kind of conflict of interest Harry's grandmother was keen to avoid and left me wondering how the same kind of scenario might play out were Harry to win his legal battle against the UK government over his right to automatic armed police protection.
Having stepped back as a working royal and relocated to the US, Harry's security is currently considered on a case-by-case basis, but how would it look if he won back his right to automatic police protection whenever he and Meghan returned to the UK?
And what if those visits, during which the Metropolitan Police would be duty bound to keep the couple safe, included money-making opportunities as Meghan builds her lifestyle brand As Ever?
Now they are no longer on the royal payroll, Harry and Meghan have to earn their own living, and their outgoings – including paying for their own security – are substantial.
With a decision on the Sussexes's security still under review, it's certainly a conundrum to which there appears to be no easy answer.
