Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie Could Stop Being Working Royals Under King Charles, A Royal Expert Has Claimed

We've seen a lot more of Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex at official royal engagements in recent weeks, but these public roles of theirs may be short-lived, according to one royal expert.

While we don't know exactly what Prince Charles' plans are when he accedes the throne, we do know that he wants to usher in a "slimmed-down monarchy" with fewer senior working royals and less money spent overall.

And for royal expert Richard Palmer, it's very possible that Prince Edward and his wife Sophie may not make the cut.

"The other big question mark is over Edward and Sophie, because many people had assumed that they would have a role," Palmer told the Daily Express' Royal Round-Up.

"Years ago, I was told by a senior royal source that the assumption would always be ... that there would be no role for any of [them], including Anne, in a slimmed-down monarchy under King Charles. But it would depend on timing."

Princess Anne also attends many royal engagements, including a very successful joint visit with Kate Middleton in recent months.

Additionally, Palmer commented on the titles Edward and Sophie could take on when Charles eventually becomes king.

"Edward and Sophie, well, when they got married, it was made clear that the Queen's intention was for Edward to inherit the title of Duke of Edinburgh, after his father's death, but that title has gone back to the Crown, I think, now, and it's by no means certain what's gonna happen," Palmer explained.

By the way, you may remember the slightly hilarious factoid that Edward became the Earl of Wessex because he loved Colin Firth's character in Shakespeare in Love so much. It's my favorite fun fact ever.