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    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Prince William Has "Big Plans" for Two Young Royals Who Live Relatively Normal Lives

    The Prince of Wales is allegedly "seizing more power" from King Charles, and wants to give "some lesser-known royals more of a spotlight."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 15 January 2025 In News

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    Prince William and members of the royal family
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
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    In recent months, much has been written about Prince William's future.

    Some reports have suggested that King Charles is envious of his son's future role as monarch, while others have claimed that Prince William and Princess Kate are experiencing the "calm before the storm." Following the suggestion that William might call on Zara and Mike Tindall to support him when he's on the throne, a source alleged that the Prince of Wales has two young royals in mind for important roles.

    According to the New York Post, Prince William is already "seizing more power" from King Charles. As well as allegedly "putting his foot down on several key decisions," William is reportedly hoping to give "some lesser-known royals more of a spotlight." Specifically, the Prince of Wales is apparently hoping to enlist the help of Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie's two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.

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    Prince William and members of the royal family

    Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex sit behind Prince William.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Both Lady Louise and the Earl of Wessex have lived fairly anonymous lives. While Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie's children were eligible to use the HRH title from birth, their parents turned down the honor. Instead, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh decided to allow their children the choice of whether or not they wanted to be referred to by the formal title when they turned 18, per Tatler.

    If Prince William does call on Louise and James to serve as working royals, they will have a big decision to make. "Should they accept the role, the duo will begin receiving public funding, which in turn would mean they will have to start undertaking public-facing engagements and events to represent the Crown," New York Post wrote.

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    Prince William and members of the royal family

    Lady Louise Windsor joins Kate Middleton and Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Duchess Sophie elaborated on the decision to not give James and Louise the HRH title at birth in an interview in 2020. "We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living," she told the Sunday Times Magazine. "Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely."

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    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

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