Princess Beatrice promoted in palace shake-up

Prince William has decided that the palace needs some fresh faces, and it’s a big move for Princess Beatrice.

Prince William has reportedly decided that Crown Inc needs some fresh faces, and he has just the relatives to launch onto the royal main stage.

In a world where it’s drummed into kids they can be anything they set their wee, dreamy hearts on, it’s a cruel bit of reality intruding into the candy cane, fairy floss dreams to learn there are only two ways to actually become a princess. Uno. Dos.

Few have the luck, though I’m not sure that’s the right word, to be born to a royal father, a genetic inheritance that no sane adult would angle after, or marry a prince, a choice high on ‘cons’ and with only a few sketchy ‘pro’s’ to boast about.

(Oh what? You really enjoy lengthy periods standing in receiving lines making noise-shaped polite air while not being allowed to indulge in even one glass of unpleasantly warm Yellowglen Chardonnay? Then step right up.)

The princess game has long since been rigged but something curious is going on inside Buckingham Palace. Who knew princesses could be promoted?

We are long, long past normal and about a dozen clicks beyond ‘average’ thanks to not only King Charles but Kate, the Princess of Wales, having been diagnosed with cancer this year.

The royal family, denied their two biggest starring players, is suffering through a certain emperor’s-new-clothes situation of late.

Britain's Princess Beatrice is one of the new faces Prince William needs. Picture: Daniel Leal/Pool/AFP

2024 has seen fit to make it painfully obvious just how reduced and how depleted of an outfit the royal ranks are after the death of the late Queen and the Sussexes absenting themselves to find their authentic selves and make half-hour infotainment.

Crown Inc is looking doughy. Pallid. All a bit tired and washed out and limp, the remaining troop of hard-working sorts resembling the audience of a golf club AGM in Surrey.

This does not a thrilling institution-make.

Thus, welcome to the breach, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie!

In late May, when a top-hatted Prince William descended the palace back steps to host one of the spring garden parties, the annual chance for thousands of people at time to shovel miniature cakes into their mouths and to gawk at a few aged dukes peppered about the place, there also came a huge surprise.

It was not just William and the dutiful Duke and Duchess of Gloucester in attendance, but five of the prince’s cousins: Peter Phillips, Zara and Mike Tindall, and Beatrice and Eugenie.

Out they were spun across the lawn to charm, to make chit-chat and to talk about the weather with a shockingly high degree of dash.

Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pictured a few years back. Picture: Peter Nicholls/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Plot. Twist.

While none of Les Cousins Royale who attended are working members of the royal family, that is, they don’t officially represent the crown and have never been funded by the Sovereign

Grant, this garden party showing was all a bit new and very exciting.

Suddenly the scene at the palace looked less golf club and more blousy, bougie dinner party with someone already opening a fresh bottle.

William, a palace source told The Times, “wanted to invite his cousins along because [he knew] it would be fun to see all of the young royals there and there was a real sense of excitement about the day that lifted the event.”

Now there is increasing noise to suggest that this deployment of Team Cousin, and Beatrice in particular, might not be a one-off. With Kate out of the picture at the mo, the palace is suffering a severe princess shortage and it looks like they are willing to call in reinforcements to help out.

With Princess Kate out of the picture at the mo, the palace is suffering a severe princess shortage and Prince William is looking for reinforcements. Picture Tallis/AFP

“They’re very willing to step up and do more at this current time, to help,” a royal source has told The Telegraph of the royal cousins.

“They’re very fond of [William] and their uncle, and they want to do everything they can to support them. And they believe in the institution they grew up in.”

The Times’ Kate Mansey has reported that Beatrice is “increasingly providing crucial back-up support” and that the mother-of-one is “likely to join her uncle, the King, at Royal Ascot and at other royal events when appropriate.”

Over the busy summer stretch, “she is expected to be seen supporting the monarch and senior family members more frequently.”

Princesses Eugenie of York Princess Beatrice of York to the rescue. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Beatrice has been enjoying increased visibility this month, first travelling to New York to promote a charity abseil event down the Empire State Building to raise money for the Outward Bound Trust, and then back in London, heading to a Croydon primary school to read in conjunction with her patronage of Oscar’s Book Club.

In February, the 35-year-old was allowed to host a reception at St James’s Palace in support of a dyslexia charity of which she has long been the patron.

Katharine, Duchess of Kent, Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Beatrice, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Zara Phillips, Prince Harry, Mike Tindall and The Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend Dr John Hall at a service. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The crucial thing to understand here is that while she is an HRH and a princess, for all intents and purposes, Beatrice York, as she calls herself on her LinkedIn profile, is just another gal-about-town with a nice collection of Chloé handbags and a day job.

(She has worked for the software giant Afiniti for seven years in partnerships and strategy.)

Beatrice has never officially undertaken royal duties and has never received a single pound of grant money. Nor is any of this about to change.

A source has told The Telegraph of the York gals: “I don’t think it means there’s a plan for them to be full-time working members of the royal family and I’m not sure they’d want that? They have careers and families and they’re very protective of that.”

The interesting thing to watch here is: was William inviting his cousins – something he reportedly did via WhatsApp – be part of a bigger plan?

According to The Telegraph’s royal editor Hannah Furness, the Prince of Wales is considering doing away with the notion of a ‘slimmed down’ royal family.

And, it just might work.

Peter Phillips, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall pictured at on of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations. Picture: Daniel Leal/Pool/AFP

For years now, the royal family has appeared riddled by egos and feuding and upset members needing to ventilate their feelings in close proximity to Oprah Winfrey.

This image, of the young, good-looking and surprisingly chic passel of royal cousins all chummily working the crowds and clearly enjoying one another’s company is nothing if not a desperately needed balm.

Consider this scene.

According to The Telegraph, during the garden party, once they had all taken to the boggy lawn, “there was a sense of jollity among the younger royals, with William calling over to ‘Mikey’, [Zara Tindall’s husband] to introduce him to a guest.”

It’s an image which is giving me Brady-Bunch-with-braying-accents vibes.

So the lesson we have learned today? You can’t make yourself into a princess; but hard work, a vastly improved taste in hats and never once getting bladdered at Ascot can get an HRH a nice, juicy promotion and some newfound public respect.

Prince William And Prince Harry with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in Klosters, Switzerland. Picture: Tim Graham/Getty Images

Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.