Queen facing shrinking 'top team' of royals claims Smith

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Graham Smith told Express.co.uk that the departure of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry combined with Prince Andrew stepping down as a working royal has left the monarchy’s top team “pretty thin on the ground”. Republic is an anti-monarchist group that campaigns for Queen Elizabeth II to be replaced by a democratic, elected head of state.

Mr Smith said: “They have lost one of their senior members [in Prince Andrew], they have now lost two more with Harry and Meghan

“The top team is getting pretty thin on the ground and the Queen and Philip are increasingly not in a position to do public engagements.

“It is rapidly becoming Prince Charles, Prince William along with Kate and Camilla which is not an inspiring offer.

“I think that the whole image of the Royal Family if you go back 10 years to the run-up of Prince William and Kate’s wedding, the whole image of the family has been completely transformed for the worse for them in a very short space of time.

“So I think it is a very difficult time for them anyway as the Queen is likely to be gone in the next 10 years.”

He continued: “It is in that run-up to a succession which is a precarious situation for them.

“They have seriously harmed their reputation and standing.” 

However, this view has been criticised by royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.

Royal referendum could solve ‘divisions’ claims Graham Smith

Mr Fitzwilliams highlighted the contribution of other working royals such as Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

He told Express.co.uk: “This is not an accurate summary of the current standing of the royal family, which according to YouGov is roughly where it has usually been, with only around 20 percent for republicanism, which is its usual level of support.

“In an average year, the royals carry out some 2,000 engagements each year and have over 3,000 patronages. These are rightly coveted.”

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Mr Fitzwilliams continued: “There is no evidence whatsoever that the succession will be precarious.

“This statement from Republic excludes a mention of the Princess Royal as well as Edward and Sophie Wessex and then claims there aren’t enough senior working royals.

“It will be some time before William and Kate’s children George, Charlotte and Louis carry out engagements but their time will come.

“The nation will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next summer and that will be both joyous as well as being unprecedented in our history.”

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