The Japan Times - How will UK royal family deal with staffing crisis?

EUR -
AED 3.762319
AFN 78.416894
ALL 99.726716
AMD 415.117848
ANG 1.871046
AOA 467.093185
ARS 1090.729349
AUD 1.672968
AWG 1.84635
AZN 1.743073
BAM 1.956817
BBD 2.09609
BDT 126.595818
BGN 1.933308
BHD 0.391419
BIF 3073.137749
BMD 1.024328
BND 1.408943
BOB 7.173765
BRL 5.986276
BSD 1.03819
BTN 89.878167
BWP 14.460083
BYN 3.397366
BYR 20076.820021
BZD 2.085284
CAD 1.510356
CDF 2922.406124
CHF 0.938595
CLF 0.037102
CLP 1023.752208
CNY 7.372592
CNH 7.518441
COP 4316.331926
CRC 523.69272
CUC 1.024328
CUP 27.14468
CVE 110.322896
CZK 25.196087
DJF 184.876045
DKK 7.461053
DOP 64.135849
DZD 140.268881
EGP 52.043303
ERN 15.364913
ETB 132.985833
FJD 2.379462
FKP 0.843623
GBP 0.834043
GEL 2.929591
GGP 0.843623
GHS 15.883335
GIP 0.843623
GMD 74.264051
GNF 8974.366708
GTQ 8.030214
GYD 217.19398
HKD 7.983865
HNL 26.446783
HRK 7.559074
HTG 135.801873
HUF 408.647303
IDR 16837.896302
ILS 3.699277
IMP 0.843623
INR 89.215757
IQD 1359.907021
IRR 43124.190283
ISK 146.704351
JEP 0.843623
JMD 163.731518
JOD 0.726451
JPY 159.269615
KES 132.189234
KGS 89.577493
KHR 4177.457354
KMF 484.353723
KPW 921.894911
KRW 1502.442842
KWD 0.315984
KYD 0.86515
KZT 537.939677
LAK 22585.742421
LBP 92964.33254
LKR 309.370843
LRD 206.588415
LSL 19.377374
LTL 3.024573
LVL 0.619606
LYD 5.096924
MAD 10.420569
MDL 19.382077
MGA 4827.698462
MKD 61.562006
MMK 3326.975933
MNT 3480.665132
MOP 8.333232
MRU 41.590872
MUR 48.543049
MVR 15.785121
MWK 1800.206233
MXN 21.668314
MYR 4.596669
MZN 65.46491
NAD 19.377374
NGN 1529.311018
NIO 38.202845
NOK 11.726807
NPR 143.810383
NZD 1.847943
OMR 0.399159
PAB 1.03813
PEN 3.861908
PGK 4.227528
PHP 60.078892
PKR 289.573785
PLN 4.22786
PYG 8188.537046
QAR 3.784186
RON 4.975366
RSD 117.190928
RUB 102.18579
RWF 1473.623688
SAR 3.842047
SBD 8.659347
SCR 14.691928
SDG 615.621153
SEK 11.501657
SGD 1.399698
SHP 0.843623
SLE 23.431524
SLL 21479.636523
SOS 586.450163
SRD 35.953386
STD 21201.51222
SVC 9.083723
SYP 13318.306818
SZL 19.366014
THB 34.877837
TJS 11.351957
TMT 3.59539
TND 3.31574
TOP 2.399077
TRY 36.800166
TTD 7.041661
TWD 33.973974
TZS 2653.124097
UAH 43.296601
UGX 3822.005733
USD 1.024328
UYU 44.923575
UZS 13470.00311
VES 59.790289
VND 25951.338533
VUV 121.610224
WST 2.868964
XAF 656.323855
XAG 0.033093
XAU 0.000368
XCD 2.768296
XDR 0.793644
XOF 656.330266
XPF 119.331742
YER 254.929526
ZAR 19.41956
ZMK 9220.178938
ZMW 29.042099
ZWL 329.833054
  • VOD

    -0.0700

    8.54

    -0.82%

  • SCS

    -0.1600

    11.48

    -1.39%

  • RIO

    -0.5000

    60.41

    -0.83%

  • NGG

    -0.3400

    61.4

    -0.55%

  • RBGPF

    67.2700

    67.27

    +100%

  • GSK

    -0.0900

    35.27

    -0.26%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0600

    7.43

    -0.81%

  • CMSC

    -0.2100

    23.47

    -0.89%

  • RELX

    -0.4600

    49.89

    -0.92%

  • AZN

    -0.4800

    70.76

    -0.68%

  • BCC

    -2.5000

    126.16

    -1.98%

  • BCE

    -0.1100

    23.79

    -0.46%

  • BTI

    -0.0400

    39.64

    -0.1%

  • CMSD

    -0.3800

    23.84

    -1.59%

  • JRI

    -0.0400

    12.53

    -0.32%

  • BP

    -0.5500

    31.06

    -1.77%

How will UK royal family deal with staffing crisis?
How will UK royal family deal with staffing crisis? / Photo: Oli SCARFF - POOL/AFP

How will UK royal family deal with staffing crisis?

Serious health issues, fallouts and scandals have plunged the UK royal family into a staffing crisis, with responsibility for public duties falling heavily on its older members.

Text size:

Here are the circumstances of the family's senior members and how the institution is adapting to its personnel shortfall.

- King Charles III

The king, who was crowned less than a year ago, announced on February 5 that he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer and had begun treatment, leading him to indefinitely cancel public-facing engagements, except audiences with the prime minister and ambassadors.

The type of cancer and recovery timetable have not been revealed, and it is not known when the king, described by his sons as a "workaholic", will return to public events.

He is, however, working on official papers while receiving treatment and has been photographed several times in public going to and from church services.

- Queen Camilla

Given the large void created by Charles' illness, his wife Queen Camilla has taken on more public duties.

But the 76-year-old recently took a week off, with UK media reporting that the king had told her to go on holiday to prevent her from burning out.

- Catherine, Princess of Wales

Photogenic and reliable, Catherine has become a mainstay for the royal family since marrying Prince William, now the heir apparent, in 2011.

However, it was announced in January that she would be out of action for several months after undergoing abdominal surgery.

By early March, Catherine had still to be pictured in public and no timeframe had been given for her return to the frontline, leading to questions and rumours about her condition.

She announced on Friday that doctors had discovered cancer during the surgery and that she too would be absent from public duties for an unspecified period as she undergoes treatment.

- William, Prince of Wales

While in good health himself, William is having to deal with the fact that both his wife and father are stricken with cancer, while having to look after his and Catherine's three young children.

He is still carrying out public engagements, such as visiting a London synagogue and a homeless project in Sheffield, northern England, but with a much reduced workload.

William also pulled out of attending a memorial service last month, a rare act for a senior royal, citing a "personal matter".

It now seems likely that was related to his wife's health, highlighting the difficulty of planning engagements when close family members are being treated for cancer.

- Princess Anne

Charles' younger sister Anne has always been a family, carrying out 457 engagements in 2023 alone.

Recognised as being the hardest working family member, Anne has recently undertaken 70 percent of all royal engagements, raising concerns over the 73-year-old's burden.

- Prince Edward and wife Sophie

Prince Edward, Charles' youngest brother, has taken up some of the slack, while his wife Sophie has 13 engagements planned in March and April, making her the second most active royal currently, behind Anne.

- Prince Harry and wife Meghan

William would previously have been able to rely on his younger bother to help out as he took a back seat, but Harry and wife Meghan quit the royal frontline in 2020 and now live in the US, largely estranged from the family following the acrimonious split.

- Prince Andrew

The king's remaining brother is also out of commission having stepped down from royal duties in 2019 after a disastrous television interview in which he defended his friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He was later stripped of his honorary military titles and royal patronages after settling a US civil claim for sexual assault without admitting liability.

M.Sugiyama--JT