Kate Middleton's Absence From The Royal Scene Casts Spotlight On Princess Beatrice
Catherine, Princess of Wales, hasn't been out and about at any royal engagements since Christmas 2023 due to her abdominal surgery in January 2024 and a discovery of cancer that she announced in March 2024. Because of Kate Middleton's absence from the royal scene, Princess Beatrice is now getting the chance to participate in more royal duties. Beatrice is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson and the cousin of William, Prince of Wales.
In May 2024, multiple sources told the Daily Mail that King Charles III (who, like Kate, is undergoing cancer treatment) wants Beatrice to be present at more royal engagements while others cannot be there. They also believed he'd be interested in Beatrice's sister Princess Eugenie participating as well, with one source telling the outlet, "[Charles] is looking to bring in some fresh blood, and he's looking to Beatrice and Eugenie. He thinks that they've grown into very sensible, lovely women who he thinks could be a real asset."
That same source also shared that Beatrice is very interested in more of the royal limelight. Reportedly, her father tried to get her and Eugenie more prominent places in the royal family about eight years prior to them being asked to do more.
Previously, Charles didn't want Beatrice and Eugenie to have more official royal roles
In 2016, the Daily Mail reported that Prince Andrew wanted Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to participate in official royal duties. However, King Charles III (then Prince Charles) didn't want them to do so. Andrew even asked their mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to step in.
It doesn't seem that anything changed for Beatrice and Eugenie at the time, and a courtier told the outlet Charles didn't want to make the change. They said Charles felt Beatrice and Eugenie "should, of course, be treated properly, as befits their royal status, they cannot have a public role and cannot be taxpayer-funded." The courtier source added, "He is quite clear on that."
By 2024, things were very different for the royal family. Charles and the royal family have had a tragic year since his coronation. Although Beatrice and her sister are still considered non-working royals as of writing and have previously been considered royals that would never be working royals, that could potentially change one day.
Beatrice could one day be a working royal
The truth is that there have previously been unconfirmed rumors of animosity between Princess Beatrice and Catherine, Princess of Wales. However, Kate Middleton likely appreciates that other royals can step up while she is focusing on herself and her health. And an insider who knows Sarah Ferguson told Us Weekly Beatrice "will not stand in for" Kate. Instead, her job is "to help the royals out and be available to do more."
William, Prince of Wales, and King Charles III are confident that Beatrice can work well in her new role. Ok! Magazine quoted an insider who said, "Both the King and William have seen how well Beatrice has stepped up in recent weeks, and that's why they are happy to push her to the front and represent the family in public" (via Us Weekly). They added, "Although the move is currently seen as a temporary unofficial role to help plug the gaps while Charles and Kate recover, it could become more permanent in the future."
After all that speculation of a bigger position for Beatrice, she was one of the royals in attendance at William's May 21, 2024, garden party at Buckingham Palace. Princess Eugenie was there too, along with Zara Tindall — their cousin and the daughter of Princess Anne — and Zara's husband Mike Tindall. Rainy weather didn't dampen the fun.