Royal Family Members Who Will Never Be Working Royals

Although there are many members of the British royal family, full-time working royals are only those who dedicate their time to attending royal events, going on diplomatic trips, overseeing charities, and otherwise supporting the crown. These members do not have careers outside of their position. They are expected to dedicate all of their working hours to the monarchy.

In recent years, the number of working royals has decreased, beginning with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping back from their positions. Then, Prince Andrew gave up his duties following his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Later, Queen Elizabeth II died, leaving King Charles III to take her place. As of this writing, the only full-time senior royals are King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Catherine, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.

With both Charles and Catherine mostly out of commission while seeking treatment for cancer, many key members will need to take time for themselves and their families. These changes have many wondering who can step in to fill in the gaps. Several lesser-known royals may be called upon to serve, but others, as detailed below, are far less likely to take on the mantle.

Another lesser-known royal family member is Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick. Edward is the late Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin twice removed. He has attended many royal events, but he doesn't have the pressure or expectations that come with being a working royal.

Despite his family ties, Edward told Tatler that he had a very normal childhood, and the significance of his royal connections took him time to come to terms with. "Only with age — and with a degree of cynicism — can you possibly tell that some people treat you differently because you haven't got a Mr in front of your name," he said. Because he's not a working royal, Edward has struck out on his own, creating a career in fashion. He launched his own menswear line, Fidir, in 2017. A career in fashion may be unexpected for a member of the royal family, but it is one he is passionate about.

Edward is very unlikely to ever become a working royal. His relation to the crown is more distant than others, and his current title, Lord of Downpatrick, is a courtesy title rather than anything official. On top of that, he has his entire career and life outside of the royal family and has little experience as a public-facing royal. He's also been removed from the line of succession because he's Catholic, making him ineligible to inherit the crown.

Lady Amelia Windsor is the youngest sibling of Edward Windsor and Lady Marina Windsor. Because her ties to the throne are more distant, she had a fairly normal upbringing but has gained some public attention over the years due to her stunning features. Her looks even inspired the media to dub her the "most beautiful member of the royal family." She's a successful fashion model who has worked with top designer brands like Channel, Dolce and Gabanna, and Bulgari.

She also has over 100,000 Instagram followers and uses the platform to keep people updated on her fashion, travels, and day-to-day life. Her social media feed is quite refreshing, as it is rare for royals to have a personal social media presence. This difference is exactly why you will likely never see her as a working royal. Although she may be popular, her fashion and lifestyle don't match the more buttoned-up image the royal family likes to portray. The young royal enjoys sharing her perspective through fashion and photography and shows no sign of changing her public persona to meet the demands of a working royal.

With the shortage of working royals, many have thought of Zara Tindall as an excellent option to help fill in where needed. As Zara is the daughter of Princess Anne and the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, she is fairly close to the crown. Although she's not an official working royal, Zara does attend many royal events and is quite close to high-ranking family members. Even so, some say stepping into a more official role is unlikely for Zara. Although Zara happily attends weddings, celebrations, and other royal events, public engagements are "not her thing," Grant Harrold, the king's former butler, told Cheatsheet.

Furthermore, Zara and her husband, Mike Tindall, play an essential role as non-working royals. "The Tindall family are close enough to the Royal Family to know what goes on behind the scenes but distant enough to be able to speak more freely. Every public interaction that the Royal Family have with the Tindalls results in positive headlines," PR expert Andy Barr told GB News (via Express). "This is because of the fun family vibe that Zara, Mike and their children give off."

Having more relatable public figures like Zara and her family is great for the House of Windsor's public image, even without her becoming a working royal.

With a sparse line-up of working royals, many people have suggested Princess Beatrice as a possible royal to fill out the ranks. Beatrice is the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, putting her ninth in the line of succession. Although she's not as well known as some of the working royals, she's frequently in attendance at weddings, coronations, and other big events, making her an already recognizable figure for the British people.

She seems the perfect option for a working royal, but her father's reputation may make that impossible. As highlighted, Andrew had his title stripped after his connection to Jeffrey Epstein became widely known. While Beatrice is not associated with any of her father's scandals, the close relation may hurt her public image. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams pointed out this problem to GB News. In his opinion, promoting Princess Beatrice as a working royal would prove problematic for the crown due to her "link with Prince Andrew." He added, "It just seems unlikely there's going to be a change for the time being."

As the youngest son of King Charles, Prince Harry is one of the most well-known members of the royal family. For much of his life, he was a key and working member of the monarchy. However, since stepping down from his royal duties, it is highly unlikely that Prince Harry will return to them in any official capacity. In January 2020, Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, gave up their positions as senior royals. The couple made this decision after struggling with media intrusion and growing tensions between themselves and other family members.

Current hardships for senior royals may make some wonder if Prince Harry will once again take a more pivotal role. But that would be quite a difficult transition, especially considering his relationship with his brother, Prince William, has become even more distant after the release of his memoir, "The Spare."

In his book, Harry details many disagreements with him and his family, even describing a physical altercation he claims to have had with William. Following the book's release, a source told US Weekly, "At this point, [William's] got no plans to speak to Harry. He's come to terms with the fact [that] he's lost his little brother and quite possibly for life." Additionally, following the king and princess' cancer diagnoses, royal expert Tom Quinn told the Mirror, "As I understand it from Palace contacts, [Harry and Meghan] are kidding themselves if they think they will be invited back in any way." Indeed, it would be quite strange for Harry to rejoin the ranks and continue with business as usual after creating such a divide between himself and the rest of the royals.