Prince William is moving ahead with ideas to reshape the modern British monarchy, using his growing influence during King Charles III’s cancer treatment to explore a leaner institution focused more on core duties than on tradition, according to royal watchers. The strategy is described as reaching from royal titles to staff numbers and even the future role of Buckingham Palace, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and other non-working royals widely expected by commentators to feel any changes first.
William’s Modernization Drive
Power is already perceived as shifting toward William as his father continues treatment following a cancer diagnosis first disclosed in early 2024. While Charles remains monarch and values traditional displays of duty, such as military uniforms and frequent public appearances, his illness has given his heir a greater role in many day-to-day decisions. In a recent televised conversation with actor Eugene Levy, William signaled his mindset, saying that change was on his agenda, that it would be lasting, and that he did not fear it. Those remarks now frame a wider discussion about how the royal household might operate in the future.
Central to the emerging vision is a clearer divide between working and non-working royals. Under proposals and scenarios discussed by commentators around William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have at times been said to be at risk of losing their His and Her Royal Highness styles and even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, reverting formally to Mr. and Mrs. Mountbatten-Windsor. More recent reporting, however, suggests William is unlikely to push to remove their titles, which would involve complex legal and constitutional steps, and that any such change remains speculative rather than agreed policy. The broader debate reflects William’s stated preference for “royalty with a small ‘r’,” limiting formal status to those who carry out official duties on behalf of the Crown and addressing concerns within his camp that the couple’s ongoing use of their titles can appear at odds with the streamlined public image he wants to project.
Pressure on Peripheral Royals
Other family members are frequently mentioned in the context of the same approach. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who are not full-time working royals, are often cited in media speculation as potential candidates for reduced prominence or altered roles as part of a broader reset, although there has been no official confirmation of any plan to remove their titles and constitutional experts note that doing so would be contentious. Their father, Prince Andrew, has already been stripped of most of his public roles and military titles, a process that began in 2022 and continued with further honors removed in 2025, a sequence that observers link to a desire within the palace – in which William is an increasingly influential figure – to distance the institution from controversy. The vision taking shape in commentary would leave only a small circle of senior figures with formal styles and roles, reducing the number of people undertaking routine openings, visits, and ceremonies that have long defined the monarchy’s public calendar.
The internal machinery of the royal household is also said to be a target for sharp reductions. Reports have pointed to significant cuts in staff numbers, potentially running into the low hundreds, across roles such as footmen, cleaners, and administrative teams. The goal would be to align the workforce with a more tightly focused operation, trimming costs and avoiding duplication across palaces and offices. Any contraction of this kind would likely spill over into the network of firms that supply the royal family, from tailors and florists to caterers and other royal warrant holders, many of whom rely on palace contracts for a significant share of their trade.
Rethinking Buckingham Palace
At the center of the physical transformation is Buckingham Palace, long regarded as the monarch’s primary London residence and the symbolic heart of royal life. Under one version of William’s modernizing plan described by insiders and commentators, the building would gradually cease to function as a private family home and instead operate primarily as a corporate headquarters, event venue, and major tourist attraction. Supporters argue that avoiding full residential conversion and focusing on public and official use could save substantial sums over time, while expanded public access could draw hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Income from tours and hosted events would help underwrite the institution’s running costs and support a more financially self-aware model of monarchy.
William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are already signaling their own personal shift away from central London. In mid-2025 they signed a long-term lease on Forest Lodge near Windsor, moving in later in the year and effectively designating Windsor as their long-term family base. The property offers a quieter environment than palace life in the capital, while keeping them within reach of official duties and major events. Their decision is expected to reduce their day-to-day presence in London, with possible knock-on effects for businesses that have traditionally benefited from the visibility and traffic generated by royal life in the city.
From Ceremony to “Impact”
Behind these moves is a philosophy that places efficiency and measurable impact above ceremony. William’s approach, as described by those close to him, contrasts with Charles’s emphasis on visible duty and the maintenance of long-standing rituals. Advocates within the palace suggest that staff changes, estate consolidation, and a narrower focus on high-profile initiatives could save tens of millions of pounds annually over time. In this model, large-scale projects such as the Earthshot Prize would take precedence over hundreds of smaller, low-profile engagements, shifting royal attention toward a handful of flagship causes.
The legal mechanism for any future title changes would likely involve Letters Patent, formal instruments issued by the monarch, potentially once William becomes king. Under various speculative blueprints circulated in the media, Harry, Meghan, and members of the York family could in theory lose their HRH styles quickly, while their children would not automatically receive such status. Instead, those children could be allowed to “opt in” as adults, choosing whether to assume formal roles and titles. Constitutional experts note, however, that significant changes of this kind would be politically sensitive, might draw parliamentary scrutiny, and that there is currently no official confirmation that such steps will be taken.
Wider Impact on Public Life
The implications extend beyond the family’s internal hierarchy. More than 1,000 annual engagements are currently carried out across the extended royal family, and a substantial share of these, particularly those handled by minor royals, could be scaled back or reassigned under a slimmer model. That would leave charities and local organizations that depend on royal patronage and attendance to seek new partners and supporters. A reduction in events would also lower demand for security, catering, transport, and maintenance, creating a cascading effect through the businesses that service royal occasions. At the same time, consolidating estates and staff is expected by supporters to strengthen the royal brand by presenting a more disciplined, financially prudent image to the public.
For historians and royal watchers, the potential scale of the changes stands out. William, already a long-serving heir apparent of his generation, appears to be presiding over one of the most far-reaching conversations about modernization in the institution while the reigning monarch is still on the throne. By more tightly defining who counts as a working royal and what duties truly matter, he is steering the Crown away from broad pageantry toward a smaller, more strategic form of public influence. If fully implemented in the way supporters envisage, the reforms would leave a monarchy that is slimmer, more businesslike, and more explicitly geared toward survival in a skeptical age—one that exchanges a crowded roster of titled relatives for a streamlined core tasked with maintaining relevance, stability, and public support in the decades ahead.
Sources:
Daily Beast | Tom Sykes Exclusive: Prince William Plots Bonfire of Royal Titles | 19 October 2025
NAO | Progress on the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme | 23 July 2024
People Magazine | Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Forest Lodge Lease Revealed | 02 December 2025
Town & Country | King Charles Cancer Diagnosis & Treatment Timeline | 30 June 2025
BBC News | “I’ll change the monarchy when I’m king,” says Prince William | 02 October 2025