The Princess Royal doesn’t like when someone asks her if she’s going to step up, saying in an interview, “What do you think I’ve been doing for the past fifty years!?” The phrase “stepping up” is being thrown around a lot these days, when talking about the Royal Family being short-staffed, and the royals are not keen on the term, which was discussed during a recent podcast.
Royal writer Rebecca English broached the topic when appearing on Palace Confidetntial, saying, “If you speak to anyone in Palace circles, the idea of ‘stepping up’ is their most hated phrase at the moment.” Ms English provides an example: “As Princess Anne said, a couple years ago, in an interview, when asked about this subject, given the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan, she kind of effectively said, “What do you think I’ve been doing for the past fifty years? Hundreds of engagements a year.”
Four senior royals are out this week — King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate — and the royals who are working, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Duchess Sophie and the Duke of Kent, can only do so much, according to the royal commentator. “And, that’s their point, that they can’t do awful more lot than they’re already doing, they have very busy diaries,” says English. Ms English suggests there may be a backlog of events, but they “are only things they can do when they are ready to do,” says English, referring to Charles and Kate.
Princess Anne and Prince Wiliam have been helpiing out by giving investitures, for the king. “For those who don’t know, investitures is when people are given their OBs, their CBs, they’re Knighted, they get given by them by the Royal Family, conventionally, it’s only members of the blood Royal Family, sort of speak,” says English.
English suggests the entire Royal Family hand out honours, it would take the pressure off the three who handle it now, and she thinks people would be very happy to receieve a “gong” from Queen Camilla or the Princess of Wales.
