Prince Charles Reportedly Wants to Cut the Royal Family to Its "Core Members"

The monarchy could be seeing some sweeping changes if Prince Charles has his way. According to Daily Mail, the heir to the throne would like to edit down the royals to nothing more than his sons, Princes William and Harry, and their wives and children. The Prince Andrew scandal may have something to do with it, though the New York Times notes that Charles has been wanting to whittle down the royals for some time now.

The news comes in the wake of Andrew's involvement with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Following an interview with the BBC where Prince Andrew showed little remorse, he stepped back from any formal duties, though reports after the announcement made it seem like he was unceremoniously "fired" from his role in addition to being dropped by his patronages and having his personal office removed from Buckingham Palace.

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Charles's decision would strip Andrew's children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, of their titles. Other royals, including Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, the children of Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, would also be affected. In addition to relieving them of their titles, Charles would also remove them from any royal duties.

While Charles seems gung-ho about the changes, it's unlikely that anything major will happen with Queen Elizabeth II still on the throne. There's one thing that may point to this happening, however. The Daily Mail adds that Charles met with his father, Prince Philip, about the possibility of the queen's retirement in the coming years.