Arguably, the biggest defining element of the Royal Family is consistency. The family itself is the manifestation of a royal tradition that stretches back for centuries. If you ask the average person on the street of London why it’s important to even have a King, they are likely to tell you “because that’s how we’ve always done it.”
Interestingly, though, 2024 looks like it is going to be a year of major changes for the Royal Family. Some of these changes are positive and some of them are negative, but it all adds up to a change in the status quo for a family that hates to shake things up. What kinds of changes are we talking about? Keep reading to discover the biggest ones!
Starting the year with a bang
The first hint that 2024 was going to be a very different year for the Royal Family involved medical issues. Specifically, King Charles and Kate Middleton were in the hospital at the exact same time!
King Charles received treatment for an enlarged prostate, something that is fairly common for a man his age. Meanwhile, Kate Middleton was hospitalized for a “planned abdominal surgery.” She has kept the exact details quite private, but all indications are that her medical issue was not cancerous in nature.
In other words, fans of Charles and Kate shouldn’t be that worried about their overall health. But the recovery time for these surgeries (especially for Kate) is going to set off some other major changes.
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Kate will continue to recover
One of the reasons Kate Middleton’s fans worried about her abdominal surgery is the long recovery time that comes with it. While we still don’t know exactly what she got treated for, Kate has made it clear she won’t be returning to any of her royal duties until after Easter.
That is going to cause some major changes for her household (more on this in a minute), but it also means that Kate will have virtually zero public presence for the next few months. Considering that she’s the future Queen of England, this could certainly affect her public perception in the UK and throughout the world.
William will focus on his family while Kate recovers
While his own royal responsibilities won’t be reduced as much as Kate’s, Prince William is also cutting back on his public appearances and royal duties for the next few months. The reason is simple: the nature of Kate’s surgery and her recovery will make it nearly impossible for her to help take care of their three children as she normally does.
Correspondingly, Prince William is stepping up to be the children’s primary parental caregiver (professional staff notwithstanding) while Kate concentrates on recovering from her surgery. All of this adds up to a very sweet and humanizing revelation about Prince William: at the end of the day, he knows his responsibilities to his wife and children are more important than his responsibilities as a royal.
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King Charles will institute a new royal fashion change
Since he has had a few sartorial faux pas over the years, King Charles usually isn’t the first person we think about when we think about fashion. However, the King is likely to make one change to what is known as the “Royal Family Order.” This is a ribbon that female royals wear which features an image of the current ruling monarch. It has not been changed since the death of Queen Elizabeth, but that is probably going to change soon.
At least, that’s what Hello! royal editor Emily Nash has speculated. “The King will issue his own Royal Family Order in [the] future, which will replace the one worn by Queen Camilla and Princess Kate, and the shorter ribbon displayed is a reminder of that coming change,” she said. “I would expect to see them wearing the King’s portrait this time next year.”
William’s renewed focus on charity efforts
Some of the changes coming for the Royal Family aren’t a matter of speculation because we got the news straight from a royal’s mouth. That’s the case with Prince William, who previously announced his desire to focus more on charitable efforts.
As reported by the Telegraph, William said, “I want to actually bring change and I want to bring people to the table who can do the change if I can’t do it,” he said before describing homelessness as one of the most important causes. He also wants to be hands-on with the changes he institutes, but he understands the need to strike a balance. “You have to remain focused, if you spread yourself too thin you just can’t manage it and you won’t deliver the impact or the change that you really want to happen.”
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Harry and Meghan: Headed for a Rebrand?
The last likely change the Royal Family is facing is one that has been a long time coming. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle became more famous than ever after stepping back from royal responsibilities and eventually settling down in America. However, the more they have attempted to achieve fame and celebrity in the United States, the more their fame has transformed into infamy. Because of that, we think these rebellious royals are headed for a rebrand.
After getting cut off from then-Prince Charles, Harry and Meghan struck various media deals to keep themselves comfortable in America. However, their success has been mixed: Harry’s biography certainly sold well, and their Netflix docuseries has many fans. At the same time, the royal tea spilled in the book and the show has made the Royal Family increasingly angry at the duo, and their $20 million dollar Spotify deal fell through, and Spotify executive Bill Simmons angrily said on his own podcast that the royals’ podcast should have been titled “’The F****** Grifters.’
Because of all this, we think the two are going to try to rebrand in such a way that they are less dependent on a handful of big media entities and maybe (just maybe) more welcome back home in England. Whether the contentious couple can pull off said rebrand, however, is anyone’s guess.