Prince Edward and Princess Sophie’s Kids Could Play a ‘Vital Role’ in the Royal Family’s Future

Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex might be getting a bigger role in the royal family — at least according to speculation from royal expert Richard Eden.

In a recent installment for the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential newsletter, Eden — who acts as the editor of the Daily Mail’s Social Diary — speculated that Louise, 20, and James, 16, will play “a vital role in the future” in the family’s future.

Their support will be integral for their “cousin Prince William when he eventually succeeds to the throne,” Eden added.

Louise and James are the sole children of Prince Edward and Princess Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

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Eden went on to say that encouraging their children to “become working royals” would be a “great service” to their country.

“Hopefully, William will realize that a ‘slimmed-down’ monarchy wouldn’t safeguard the institution, as some claim, but would lead to its irrelevance and eventual death,” Eden claimed. “What better way to build on its strengths than with an injection of energy from young people who have had values of public service and duty instilled in them from birth.”

Eden’s statement comes days after Edward, 60, and Sophie, 59, were asked to lead royal duties for the first time on behalf of King Charles III as he undergoes treatment for cancer. (Princess Kate Middleton is also undergoing “preventative chemotherapy” following a cancer diagnosis.)

Royal historian Gareth Russell recently weighed in on the future of the “slimmed-down” monarchy during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. Russell explained that it was not entirely “a mistake” made by the royal family but this is “not what was intended.”

Charles, 75, made it a goal during his reign to slim-down the monarchy following the September 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II.

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“If you are to use the metaphor, the monarchy is underweight at this stage, it was never intended to reach the levels that it did,” Russell further explained to Us. “It was always anticipated that you would have [King] Charles III with three working siblings and two working children and their wives, and that that would be a sustainable footing for the monarchy going forward.”

Working members of the royal family lost Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their departure from the family in 2020, and Prince Andrew’s titles were stripped in 2022 following sexual assault allegations (which he has denied). So the palace has been a little too slimmed-down, it seems.

Similar to what Eden said, Russell told Us that the monarchy would be “unsustainable” if Lady Louise, at least, didn’t move into a senior royal role. He also suggested Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as well.

“Yes, the slimmed-down monarchy sounded a very good idea when there were so many working royals back in [the early 2000s], but through a variety of factors it is now something that needs to be rethought,” he added.