HER SOLID STARS
While all this is going on there are family stalwarts who continue to revolve around Her Majesty with quiet fortitude.
PRINCE EDWARD AND SOPHIE, COUNTESS OF WESSEX
No scandal has yet come to darken the queen’s youngest son and his wife.
Sophie (57) in particular is widely regarded as one of the royal family’s unsung heroes, keeping her head down and working tirelessly and quietly since marrying Edward (57) in 1999.
After Harry and Meghan left she “really stepped up”, royal insiders say, and has been at the forefront of The Firm’s response to the Covid crisis.
She also made history in 2020 by becoming the first member of the royal family to visit South Sudan to promote the rights of women and girls.
“She’s been making a difference in a very understated, very Sophie way,” says Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine.
PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE
The rock stars of the royal family continue to be pillars of support for the queen.
Throughout Her Majesty’s trials and challenges, William (39) and Kate (40) have been there, taking on more duties and paving the way for William’s own ascension to the throne one day.
The Cambridges have been tasked with cleaning up the family’s image in the wake of the recent scandals, according to royal expert Jennie Bond. All eyes will be on them when they embark on a 12-day tour of the Caribbean in March, their first foreign trip since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“It will probably be their last break [ from day-to-day duties at home] before the big push leading up to the jubilee celebrations,” she says.
The royal family need to press a reset button and the Cambridges might just be the ones to do so, Bond adds.
PRINCESS ANNE
The queen’s only daughter is regarded as the most hard-working royal and was the first to get back to her duties after the Christmas break. But Anne (71) won’t take on a more prominent role going forward, Fitzwilliams says. Instead, she’ll continue to dedicate herself to her range of charities and causes, which include farming. “She has the role she wants,” he says. “She’s a tremendously hard worker and she doesn’t want any sort of celebrity or glamorous profile. She certainly has no intention of slowing down at 70.”