To put it bluntly, things aren't looking good for the British royal family this year, despite the fact the monarchy has been a respected institution in the United Kingdom — and around the world — for centuries. It's been a tough time for all of us for so many reasons, but lately, several things have gone wrong for the royals all at the same time that seem to have created the perfect storm of bad press, and it is definitely making us wonder if the monarchy is in trouble.
… and if so, can it continue on like this?
At first, there was the Prince Andrew scandal in 2019. This was obviously a big deal, but on its own, it could be managed, especially under someone like Queen Elizabeth. Then, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's exit called royal life into question again at the beginning of 2020, and things seem to have gone downhill ever since. There have been rumors of financial trouble — and even calls for the Queen to renounce her title — and that's just scratching the surface.
Read on for all the signs that the royal family may be in trouble. We have our fingers crossed that they'll be able to make it through this difficult time, but it's hard to predict what the future might bring for the monarchy.
Calls for Queen Elizabeth to Renounce Her Title
One of Elizabeth's biggest critics, Graham Smith of the organization Republic, has called for her to renounce her title, claiming that "the writing's on the wall," and the monarchy is coming to an end — so she may as well go ahead and move on. Uh, we can't see Elizabeth going along with something like that … but it's not good if people are buzzing about her possibly giving up her title.
Prince Charles' Political Involvement
Smith also believes that Prince Charles will be the downfall of the monarchy — primarily because of his inability to stay politically neutral, as members of the royal family are supposed to. There's also the fact that the Prince of Wales is one of the most expensive members. In a financially trying time, that makes him the weakest link.
Meghan & Harry's Exit
The fact that Meghan and Harry were so willing to walk away from royal life? Well, that's not exactly a great sign about the state of the monarchy these days. Obviously, there's something about being royal that they both don't like (actually, it seems like there are a lot of things), and if someone born into the family is so willing to walk away, what does it say about the British royal family as a whole?
The Prince Andrew Debacle
As soon as Prince Andrew's ties to convicted felon Jeffrey Epstein started making headlines in 2019, we knew that this was bad news … and so far, it's progressed from bad to worse. Andrew has stepped down from royal duties, and we can't imagine that this scandal has made Elizabeth happy about the image he's projecting of the royal family, either.
Expensive Divorces
There have been multiple divorces in the royal family over the years, and they seem to be costing Queen Elizabeth a pretty penny. According to what royal finance expert David McClure has told Express in the past, Elizabeth herself had to chip in to help Prince Charles pay his divorce settlement to Princess Diana. Considering the fact that all her children — except for Edward — have been through divorces, the costs must be adding up.
Bad Economy
There has also been buzz that Elizabeth has been rethinking the monarchy's future based on the ways that all of the negative impacts the year 2020 has had on the UK's economy have affected the royal family. Since tourism is down, so is the room that Elizabeth has in her budget … and that doesn't signal anything positive for the coming years.
Shrinking Family
There have been rumors that the royal family is planning on getting more condensed with fewer "official" members … and that would mean phasing out the Yorks entirely. We'd definitely miss Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice at royal engagements, and we can't deny the fact that the family wouldn't be shrinking if something wasn't going wrong.
Family Drama
One of the biggest indicators that everything isn't rosy in the royal family? The fact that Princes William and Harry are likely feuding and have been for a long time — and somehow, the drama just keeps making headlines. For a family that's all about image, this definitely doesn't make them look good, and keeps exposing the cracks that exist in the monarchy.
Bad Press About Meghan & Harry
Meghan and Harry leaving royal life caused multiple problems for the royals, aside from showing that they would want to walk away. Since they decided to leave — and even before then — there's been nothing but bad press about this couple, including the rumors that their leaving has caused a giant rift in the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth Isn't Good at Playing Referee
Something else that Graham has pointed out: Apparently, Queen Elizabeth isn't able to be impartial and accountable to the people of the UK — in his opinion, anyway — because she's likely to agree with whatever it is that Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants her to do, leaving her in a position where she won't be able to be neutral in terms of the direction the country is headed.
Calls for a 'Head of State'
Graham also mentioned that instead of the monarchy, there should be a "head of state," instead, which he described as "someone who can intervene and referee the political system when there are these big constitutional questions." If the UK does ultimately decide to revamp the way the government is structured, that could be mean the royals are the first to go.
Demand for Smaller Weddings
After Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a small, intimate wedding over the summer, the calls for this to become the norm in the royal family began — especially if these weddings are being paid for with taxpayer money. Once again, Graham shared his opinion on the subject with Express. He said:
"I don't have any thoughts either way on someone getting married, but I think they have possibly realized that they can't keep demanding lavish weddings. I think that the Eugenie wedding did not go down too well, people weren't too excited about it and they were concerned about the cost … It was the right thing to do but they should have done the right thing years ago and all the other weddings should have been the same sort of size."
There Could Be Layoffs
Due to the financial issues the royal family has been facing this year, there are rumors that budget cuts mean that some employees who work with the royals are likely going to lose their jobs … if they haven't already. Will the royal family be able to function without these employees? It's hard to say right now, but this could end up having a ripple effect on the family for years to come.
Royal Tours Aren't Happening
As another consequence of the international health crisis, the royals haven't been traveling — and between that and the budget cuts we mentioned, there's a good chance that royal tours will be out of the question for a long time. That could also end up having a negative effect on the royal family, too, especially since that means fewer in-person appearances.
Royal Traditions May Have to Be Rethought
This year, thanks to world events that shut down a lot of fun gatherings, the royal family wasn't able to take part in so many of their traditions that have defined them for so long, including Trooping the Colour in honor of the Queen. Without yet knowing if it will make sense to resume these traditions in 2021, this could end up leading to royals' downfall.
