Prince William and Duchess Sophie, the royal family's shining stars and King Charles III's most trusted companions, may face unexpected future ahead.
The Prince of Wales and and the Duchess of Edinburgh have been tipped to clash over the future of Lady Louise Windsor, who is currently studying English at St Andrews University in Scotland.
The 21-year-old may soon take up some official duties as the future king Wiliam is planning to include her in his team amid fears the Firm is "running out of royals" up to the task.
William is said to be eyeing Lady Louise as a "dark-horse contender" for the role as a working royal.
Royal commentator Christopher Wilson explains: "Public demand for the attendance of a royals to mark major and minor events up and down the country remains as high as ever."
The expert believes Loiuse "charms all who meet her and could be a decorative and useful asset to the royal team."
However, Wilson did not hesitate to admit that the decision could bring the future king into conflict with the Duchess Sophie, who remains "vastly protective of her daughter" throughout her time at St Andrews.
Sophie still wants her beloved daughter to stay out of the spotlight. On the other hand, Louise has also maintained a relatively low profile during her studies.
If Louise was to pursue a career in the armed forces, she would be the first female royal to serve since her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
Wilson went on to suggest there also remained questions on the status of Louise’s younger brother James, Earl of Wessex. The 17-year-old is currently a pupil at Radley school in Berkshire.
"Little is known of his character and personality or whether he'd wish to serve as a front-rank royal – even if William wished it," he observed while speaking with the Daily Mail.
It emerges as the number of engagements undertaken by the royal family has declined rapidly over the last decade and a half amid health crisis and rifts within the family.
As per reports, there are now only 10 working royals and in 2024, they made a total of 2,168 public engagements, a drop of almost half from the 2011 total.
