LONDON – The death of Prince Philip, who has been Queen Elizabeth II’s steadfast companion for more than 70 years, comes at a time when the royal family is under scrutiny.
This brings the next generation of royals into sharp focus, with observers asking how the traditional institution can take shape in younger hands.
The modernization of the monarchy may mean that a smaller number of royals work; more virtual engagements, which began during the coronavirus pandemic; Carolyn Harris, a royal historian and author, has given less publicity to ceremonial royal calendar events, which are in line with trends in other European royal households.
“The monarchy has existed for more than a thousand years and has repeatedly rediscovered itself over the centuries to reflect changing social norms, political conditions and public opinion,” Harris told NBC News.
She added that Philip’s death would likely “accelerate” the public duties given to younger royals and put a greater spotlight on Prince Charles and his son, Prince William – both successors to the throne.
The last few years have been difficult for the UK.
It endured a confused and protracted split of the European Union after the Brexit referendum in 2016 and the highest death toll from the coronavirus in Europe, and now mourns the death of a senior royal, each of whom bears the collective national identity.
The queen (94) is seen by many as a stabilizing bow image, defined by her silent guardianship of the institution through controversies and crises.
But with the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the relocation of the old guard could also bring about a change in the royal attitude and values.
“The younger generations of the royal family are more likely to express their opinions and prioritize their personal lives in addition to their royal duties,” Harris said.
She noted that Prince Charles is being criticized for speaking out on issues such as climate change, city centers and homeopathic medicine, as opposed to the non-interference and guarded private persona that characterized Elizabeth’s government.
Public strife among younger royals – including between Prince William and his wife, Catherine, and the self-proclaimed Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan – generating the news in the British and American press, also took the family seriously .
Harris and William and Kate can also find a more holistic balance between their public duties and their family life with their three children.
Unlike the Queen and Philip, who were married in 1947, the couple regularly took their young children on foreign royal tours, such as their visit to Canada in 2016, a trend that could continue. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also undertook shorter international voyages and made more virtual royal engagements, changes that could become more permanent.
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But for some, though the family itself may accept change, the depth of the royal institutions will remain entrenched.
“The old guard is still going to be the old guard. Prince Charles is older,” said Marlene Koenig, author of European and British royal biographies.
‘He [Charles] is what I call a transition. The real focus is William and Catherine, ‘she added.
Koenig said that the fact that the monarchy knows how to develop at all is partly due to Philip, who, like Queen Victoria’s husband, Albert, reformed the institution by being open to new ideas.
Philip supports the TV broadcast of Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, which enables the masses to tune in. He also advocates that the abolition of the upper-class debutants be formally presented to the court – a practice he called ‘daft’, which ended in 1958. annual summer garden parties at Buckingham Palace as a way to meet and acknowledge the achievements of everyday people.
Years later, he was also the driving force behind a rare BBC documentary behind the scenes of royal life in 1969, which made the family more accessible to the public.
In an early form of reality TV, the program took advantage of the British curiosity of life behind palace walls, a fascination that has continued to this day, with millions agreeing to a 2021 interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey in 2021. The royal family’s life also led to the worldwide success of the Netflix drama “The Crown”.
Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Duke of Edinburgh (99) has learned how to adapt to social media and Zoom calls. In a hilarious interview in February, Harry told television host James Corden that his grandfather would regularly pounce on his laptop to abruptly end online calls with the family.
“In front of the cameras, ‘Philip’ was too ‘powerful but funny’, someone who was willing to plan, ” Koenig said. She admitted that he was often prone to gaffes and criticism, which she thought had humanized him.
As the institution of the royal family continues to develop, change can also be felt in the Commonwealth, where Caribbean countries such as Jamaica and Barbados have recently shown interest in becoming republics – an issue that future princes will have to contend with.
For now, “the monarchy will continue to reinvent itself,” Harris said. It ‘will exist in Britain for the foreseeable future.’