If there is one thing that causes King Charles to bristle, it is commentators claiming he will be a caretaker until his heir, the “change maker,” takes over. Those close to the king say that this is demonstrably wrong. This month, there was renewed discussion about the prospect of Charles abdicating in favor of his eldest son in Britain, prompted by the change of throne in Denmark, which saw Queen Margaret II retire in a shocked abdication, succeeded by her son, the new King Frederick X, and his wife, Queen Mary.

His only sister, Princess Anne, has been quoted in a new royal biography which claims the new monarch bristles at the suggestion he is acting as a caretaker of the throne until such a time as Prince William can take over. As for William, he has said little himself on the prospect of becoming king and when exactly that might be. His major plans for the royal family could meet with some serious resistance from a senior member because it is believed the heir is keen to slim down the working monarchy as his father is doing.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96, Charles succeeded in September 2022. Some members of the British public believed at that time that the throne should have bypassed Charles and gone to William, who was more popular. Four months before Queen Elizabeth’s death, a YouGov poll found that 57% of Britons thought Charles would do a good job as king. This was opposed to 77% who thought William would do a good job. In the same month, 37% said that William should succeed his grandmother while 34% said it should be Charles.

Now, according to the author of the biography, the king and key royal insiders have shared their feelings about the subject. Princess Anne takes a pragmatic line on the subject, stating that there is an inherent benefit to taking on the crown later in life: “When you start much later in your life, inevitably you’ve got more experience to fall back on, and you will have more opinions,” she is quoted as saying. Another cited source is Queen Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, who agreed: “People keep talking about he’s a caretaker,” she said of Charles, “and I don’t see that at all.”

Knowing all this, it is likely we’ll see quite a few changes when William and Catherine become king and queen. The number of working royals will probably be even further reduced, with only Prince George seemingly guaranteed for royal duties. The insider clarified that this is what William wants; he sees the small European monarchies as the model for the future. The prince explained in an interview marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday: “I think the royal family has to modernize and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant. That’s the challenge for me—how do I make the royal family relevant in the next 20 years’ time? You know, it could be 40 years’ time, it could be 60 years’ time. I have no idea when that’s going to be, and I certainly don’t lie awake waiting or hoping for it because it sadly means that my family have moved on, and I don’t want that.”

However, Princess Anne is not thought to be happy with this idea. She previously criticized the concept of a slimmed-down monarchy during an interview with CBC, questioning whether such a model was practical given the departures of Prince Harry and Prince Andrew from working royal life. Currently, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, are the only four working royals under the age of 70. When the older members of the family retire, it is unlikely that any new working royals will be appointed. It remains to be seen if William will even want his two younger children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to be working royals.

The Princess Royal told her interviewer: “Well, I think the slim-down was set in a day when there were a few more people around. It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing. I would say I’m not quite sure what else we can do about it.” About King Charles, she added: “Well, you know what you’re getting because he’s been practicing for a bit, and I don’t think he’ll change. You know, he’s committed to his own level of service, and that will remain true.”