Will Sophie take the title Princess

[Viviennemary]

Sophie will be 18 next month and will have the choice of whether to be styled HRH Princess Sophie or not. It was her parents decision not to have her styled thus even though she could be as the grandchild of the monarch. Not sure but I thought probably not. But if she was to become a working royal opening town halls and so on the title Princess would look better on the plaques.

Unfortunately, it means they are all related to Danny Dyer and Josh Widdicome as well 🤣

@smilesy

Unfortunately, it means they are all related to Danny Dyer and Josh Widdicome as well 🤣

And Dan Snow and Alexander Armstrong (I think - could be cobblers).

Aren’t most people meant to be in some way related to John of Gaunt?

Well he did get about a bit ...

WHAT? I'm related to John of Gaunt? There I've been, all these years, thinking I was descended from rows and rows of agricultural labourers who have been treated badly by the beastly aristos since at least 1066, and all the time I was related to him. Mmmm, wrong side of the blanket I suppose.

Aren’t most people meant to be in some way related to John of Gaunt?

I always raised an eyebrow at those sorts of theories (essentially, that by the time you go back to, say, 1200, you have so many ancestors that everyonel must be related to royalty) because even in the 1200s most people weren’t part of the nobility. There were still thousands and thousands of peasants and agricultural workers and tradesmen etc around who were also merrily having lots of children and creating new generations just as the upper social echelon were.

And surely once you go back beyond the advent of trains and bicycles most people’s ancestors would have overlapped a lot anyway, due to the population being smaller and only mobile if you were rich? We commoners are probably just as inbred as the various noble families, but our ancestors’ inter marriages thankfully aren’t that visible now.

I think William and Kate are going to have to do a lot more engagements - double what they do now. Edward and Sophie also will have to up their game. Add that to Charles, Camilla, Anne and those done by minor, very elderly royals like DoK. Princess Alexandra and it might see them through a few years. The big problem will come when Charles, Camilla and Anne are older and more frail and can do less. Edward and Sophie will be late 60s approx and that will leave W and K. It is W and Ks generation that is the big gap. I think they should draft in Louise and possibly Zara.

@LittleBearPad I have read it about Edward III. I'm probably not as I only have one English grandparent, the rest are Irish: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issue_of_Edward_III_of_England

THe Duke of Edinburgh ran the royal estates as the key decision maker. Who is doing that now?

@LuluJakey1

I think William and Kate are going to have to do a lot more engagements - double what they do now. Edward and Sophie also will have to up their game. Add that to Charles, Camilla, Anne and those done by minor, very elderly royals like DoK. Princess Alexandra and it might see them through a few years. The big problem will come when Charles, Camilla and Anne are older and more frail and can do less. Edward and Sophie will be late 60s approx and that will leave W and K. It is W and Ks generation that is the big gap. I think they should draft in Louise and possibly Zara.

That’s why Sophie and Edward will become bigger and bigger players imo. The age difference between them and Charles will probably, at a push, just about bridge the gap between William and Kate flying solo and the Cambridge children starting to pick up roles.

That point is going to be when the 900+ engagements that would have been picked up by Andrew, Harry and Meghan will be interesting to see what happens.

@NonyaBizniz

THe Duke of Edinburgh ran the royal estates as the key decision maker. Who is doing that now?

Good question. I don't know the answer. I would guess Charles or William would/will/have taken over, but if not yet, there will be estate managers carrying on at present. However, there's no reason why a woman can't be key decision maker on an estate.

@NonyaBizniz

THe Duke of Edinburgh ran the royal estates as the key decision maker. Who is doing that now?

There’s no new Ranger of Windsor Great Park yet.

It’s usually either the monarch or someone very close, but there have been gaps between Rangers when the team under them have just cared for the park so I’d assume that will happen until Charles is king, unless the Queen and Philip had already decided who to appoint.

THe Duke of Edinburgh ran the royal estates as the key decision maker. Who is doing that now?

He was Ranger of Windsor Great Park but he didn’t personally run the all the royal estates. If you mean the private residences, then I’m sure there is a team of groundsmen who will carry on in the short term at least.

@smilesy He most certainly did run them as the tour guide at Sandringham was very clear about that when I was there.

He may have at one time, but I am sure as the Duke of Edinburgh got older that changed.
Running estates can mean a monthly meeting with your Estate Manager, or it can be a much more active involvement.
In the same way I am sure the Queen has meetings about what happens at Buckingham Palace and is involved in key decisions, but she wont be actively managing it.

@NonyaBizniz I did say did you mean the private residences. Sandringham is one of those. I know the DofE had a great deal of input there. The Royal Estates are not the same thing 😀

www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/what-we-do/on-the-land/