As King Charles’ slimmed-down monarchy comes under strain, could the Firm rely on the younger generation of British royals you’ve probably never heard of?

There’s growing fears amongst royal fans and experts alike that King Charles’ idea of a slimmed-down monarchy could doom the Crown to irrelevance.

It’s a topic of discussion that’s become increasingly relevant following the shock cancer diagnoses of the head of state, 75, and the Princess of Wales, 42.

The King has largely postponed his public-facing duties – although he did greet delighted well-wishers following the annual Easter service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Kate has not resumed her royal duties since her abdominal surgery in January. Post-operative tests found that cancer had been present and Kate has now begun a course of preventative chemotherapy. 

It means with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the US, and Prince Andrew in the cold, there is only five senior royals to call on: Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh.

It’s a stark difference to previous years, when at one time the British Royal Family was made up of 18 working royals who could be called on to help with engagements. 

Now, just nine members of the Firm are relied upon, including The Duke, 79, and Duchess of Gloucester, 77.

Minor royals that have helped out in previous years include Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.

But with the Duke of York exiled from public duties, and both Princesses busy with their young families and jobs – Beatrice at Afiniti and Eugenie at the art gallery Hauser and Wirth – it’s unlikely there will be a repeat. 

Despite calls for the King to bring the siblings further into the fold this year, their father Prince Andrew’s scandals would no doubt give Charles pause. 

So, could a new set of younger, hardly-known royals be called upon to help with public engagements instead?

Action man Arthur Chatto makes his living as a member of the Royal Marines, the first royal to join the regiment. He is 30th in line to the throne.

After attending Westminster Cathedral Choir school, Arthur followed in the footsteps of Princes Harry and William footsteps by attending Eton College.

At Eton, he was in its Combined Cadet Force, which teaches pupils a range of military skills. Afterwards, he followed his older brother Sam to Edinburgh University.

Arthur, who studied History of Art, juggled his studies with working as a personal trainer at the BoundFitness gym in the city.

In a profile of the young royal shared on Instagram, Arthur wrote: ‘I’m a level 3 personal trainer, I specialise in strength and endurance training with a military focus.’

Princess Margaret’s grandson is also said to be a fan of outdoor sports, including mountain climbing. The adventurous royal has even been ice diving in Greenland and climbing in the Alps.

Arthur, who is a keen environmentalist like Prince William and Harry, was also part of a four-man squad that completed an epic row around the UK to raise money for The British Red Cross and Just One Ocean in 2020.

Speaking about the 2,000-mile GB Row Challenge which took 38 days, Arthur said that preparing for the challenge had been ‘mental’ and very physically demanding.

Preparation did not come easy, as he reportedly went on 20-mile hikes and camped in the Scottish Highlands in preparation for his uniformed role.

Arthur has also made royal history, as in 2021, he became the first member to join the Marines. The late Queen was said to be ‘pleased and proud’ of her great-nephew’s achievements.

Since then, he has attracted attention as a royal heartthrob, as he sported his Marines uniform for the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2022.

Arthur racked up followers on his now-deleted Instagram account after he would often post revealing snaps, including one topless photo taken during a ‘Scottish swim’ alongside older brother Samuel during his university Freshers week.

Although there is no official Instagram account, it has not stopped Arthur’s pictures from popping up, as adoring fans have kept his online presence alive by creating fan pages where they share photos and videos of the royal.

The royal seems to have enjoyed watching the The Crown, as he admitted to The Telegraph.

Arthur said: ‘Yes, I have watched it, I guess it’s only an interpretation. So I just kind of remember what they’re actually like and don’t let the TV persona mar my judgment of any of them.’

SAMUEL CHATTO 

A  free spirit who has inherited the family’s artistic talents, Samuel Chatto, is the son of Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto and the eldest of Princess Margaret‘s grandchildren.

Samuel David Benedict Chatto, better known as Sam, 27, was born on July 28, 1996, at Portland Hospital in London.

He was brought up in Kensington, London, and was sent to Eton College when he was 11 years old – like many other members of the royal family, including his brother Arthur and Princes William and Harry.

The now 27-year-old then went on to study History of Art at the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 2018.

Following the completion of his degree, the royal undertook a six-week apprenticeship at North Shore Pottery in Scotland and is now carving a career for himself as a potter.

Explaining that he had put aside his creative ventures while studying, he set up his own ceramics studio in 2019.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2019, he said: ‘I’m working in clay to create functional and sculptural wood-fired ceramics from my home and studio in West Sussex.

‘I’ve always had a strong affinity with creating objects, having spent much of my childhood crafting imagined landscapes and sculptural models, which naturally led me to clay during my later years at school.

‘My creative practice took a back seat while I studied History of Art at Edinburgh, but was revived, in the summer of 2017, by a visit to North Shore Pottery [in Caithness].

‘Inspired by what I had seen in Scotland, and completely uninspired by my three-month job in the commercial art market, I spent my weekends setting up a small home studio to rediscover my creativity and built a wood-fired kiln at the bottom of my garden.

‘The decision to start selling my work comes from a strong belief in the power of beautiful, well-made objects to enrich and enhance our lives.’

Aside from his career as a potter, Sam has also explored other options and previously trained as a yoga instructor in India with his then-girlfriend, Sophie Pipe.

In a 2019 Instagram post, the great-nephew of the late Queen Elizabeth revealed that he completed six weeks’ worth of training hours in India. 

‘It was an incredibly eye-opening experience which I am so deeply grateful for,’ he wrote at the time.

Devoting himself to ‘feeding his soul’ and following a vegan diet, he was previously in the habit of sharing motivational posts on Instagram.

This included a post where he was pictured in the foothills of the Himalayas and at the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, where he donned a traditional Arabic keffiyeh, stood next to a police officer and gushed: ‘My life is complete.’

Over the years, the royal has shared his journey through life on his social media accounts.

While senior and more prominent members of the royal family often only have official social media pages, Sam is allowed to have his own personal page because of his lower standing in the hierarchy of succession.

As the son of Lady Sarah Chatto, who is the only daughter of the late Countess of Snowdon, Princess Margaret, Sam currently sits as 29th in line to the British throne.

Lady Amelia Windsor has modelled for Dolce & Gabbana, is currently signed to the Storm fashion agency and still has time to discuss her environmental passions with her followers on Instagram.

She is the granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, making her 43rd-in-line to the throne. 

Lady Amelia was educated at exclusive St Mary’s, Ascot, where boarders pay more than £45,000 a year, and seems to boast brains as well as looks (Tatler once described her as ‘the most beautiful royal’).

She took a year out of education to travel in India and Thailand before studying Italian at the University of Edinburgh.

Since graduating Amelia has pursued a mixed career of modelling, fashion design and writing for publications including Tatler. She has appeared on the magazine’s cover.

Lady Amelia is a big fan of social media and regularly shares glimpses of her glamorous life with her followers.

Talking about her enthusiasm for social media – and particularly Instagram, she says: ‘It allows anyone to be creative and imaginative.

‘I also love that we can share all the beautiful and meaningful things we see and hear in the world. I find it so inspiring and uplifting.’

Speaking to The Telegraph, Lady Amelia insisted that she’s not the type to wear an outfit once and discard it.

‘The clothes that I wear on Instagram are mostly for events, which have been borrowed from different brands,’ she explained.

Instead, the royal revealed she tries to live as eco-consciously as possible, and often shops for vintage in Portobello Market near her Notting Hill home.

As an advocate for sustainable fashion and renewing old pieces, Amelia has also sold her old clothes on the fashion marketplace app Depop to raise money for an animal charity back in 2021.

Taking to Instagram, the royal explained she put a selection of preloved clothes up for sale after a wardrobe clear out and how any money she made from the sale will go towards the animal protection charity Cross River Gorilla Project.

Charles is the eldest child of Princess Margaret’s son David Armstrong-Jones and his ex-wife, Serena.

After the death of his grandfather, Margaret’s husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, the 1st Earl of Snowdon, Charles’ father inherited the title, becoming the 2nd Earl of Snowdon. Charles, in turn, became Viscount Linley.

Charles had served as a Page of Honour to the late Queen, being appointed the first Page of Honour in 2012.

Unlike his younger sister, Charles did not play a part in Prince William and Kate’s wedding, and speaking of his appointment as a Page of Honour, one courtier told The Telegraph: ‘Charles never made a fuss about not being made a pageboy, but the Queen was keen to ensure that he did not feel left out.’

Born in 1999, Charles was in the same year as his cousin Arthur Chatto at Eton College before studying design engineering at Loughborough University but remains largely out of the headlines.

He now works as a musician and his sister Margarita told Tatler: ‘He is very into his orchestral music. He is self-taught [and he] can sing, play the piano and the guitar.’

His parents David and Serena announced that they would be getting divorced in 2020 with a spokesman saying the pair had: ‘amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end’.

Lord Snowdon, a furniture designer, moved into Kensington Palace with his then wife and his son Charles in 2000 to look after Princess Margaret before she died in 2002.

LADY MARGARITA ARMSTRONG-JONES

Princess Margaret’s youngest grandchild and only granddaughter, Lady Margarita, appeared on the front cover of Tatler for her 21st birthday last year.

But this was not her first time in the spotlight as she had served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2011, aged eight.

After finishing prep school, Margarita started at boarding school St Mary’s Ascot but left for Tudor Hall to study A Levels in photography, history of art and jewellery design.

She studied at Oxford Brookes, swapping between courses in photography and events management, before moving to Paris where she lives with her two flatmates and studies jewellery and photography.

As well as studying at the Haute École de Joaillerie, she spends time with her friends and can be spotted at Parisian second-hand shops.

She told Tatler: ‘I love fashion. I have always had an interest in it and I love experimenting with styles.’

Her stylish streak was on full display when Lady Margarita made a glamorous appearance at at Tatler’s Little Black Book party in London last year.

She paid an uncanny tribute to her grandmother, turning up to The Windmill cocktail bar in Soho in a silver sequin mini dress and stunning white faux fur coat.

The bespoke Michael Kors creation seems to have been based on a piece of outwear worn by Princess Margaret to the premiere of Captain Horatio Hornblower in 1951 when she wore a V-neck, long-sleeved dress embellished with pink sequins under a fur coat.

Her full name, Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones is also a tribute to Princess Margaret, as well as the Queen Mother, although Margarita never met either of them.

EDWARD WINDSOR, LORD DOWNPATRICK

Lord Downpatrick is the grandson of the Duke of Kent and the brother of jet-setting model Lady Amelia Windsor. But it appears he prefers a rather more low-key existence.

Edward, godson of Princess Diana, previously admitted he would happily skip a sun-soaked summer holiday with his parents, the Earl and Countess of St Andrews, in favour of a solo trekking expedition or trip to Scotland.

‘There is something more rewarding about it,’ he told Tatler in 2018 about travelling alone. ‘Often you end up talking with strange things like a stream or a bird or marmot.’ 

Despite feeling most at home in the wilderness, far away from the trendy haunts favoured by many young royals, he conceded it is still quite cool’ being born into the royal family. 

Edward, informally known as Eddy, is the eldest child of George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, who is heir to the dukedom of Kent. His grandfather is the late Queen’s first cousin Edward, the Duke of Kent. Edward founded his own fashion label, FIDIR.

In the interview with Tatler, Lord Downpatrick admitted he had not always realised that he would be treated differently because of his title and position in life.

He said: ‘Only with age – and with a degree of cynicism – can you possibly tell that some people treat you differently because you haven’t got a Mr in front of your names.’

The royal added on being born into the royal family: ‘It’s complete luck that it happens to be you but it’s quite cool that it has.’

Lord Downpatrick, a graduate of Oxford, spends most of his time in London but enjoys escaping to explore places such as Norway and Austria.

CASSIUS TAYLOR

At 45th-in-line to the throne, Cassius Taylor has had a little more freedom than some of his royal relatives.

Cassius is the grandson of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the late Queen’s first cousin.

These days, however, he is less likely to appear in group shots on the Buckingham Palace balcony and more likely to appear wearing shades on social media – often at the opening of some artistic venture or other – or DJ-ing at a party.

This makes sense as Cassius is the son of Lady Helen Taylor and art-dealer Timothy Taylor – and like the children and grandchildren of Princess Margaret, is a signed-up member of the Royal Family‘s creative wing.

He has become something of a darling of the London art scene, in fact, and has turned his first tattoo into a whimsical art exhibition.

Like other more distant members of the royal family, Cassius, who was born in 1996, has been allowed to grow up away from the spotlight. 

As a child, he would make rare public appearances, including the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour.

The second out of four children, Cassius grew up close with his brother Columbus and his younger sisters Eloise and Estella.

He was educated at Wellington College in Berkshire, which costs £35,775-a-year, before heading to  Goldsmiths, where he got a degree in art management.

He caught the creative bug from his parents, who are both renowned art dealers, saying: ‘I was constantly being dragged to galleries as a child.’

After graduating, he worked for his father’s London gallery before joining the PR agency Purple, where he dabbled in the events business, organising glitzy receptions at Somerset House.

He eventually left Purple PR and set up his own events company, named ‘Telltale.’

In his free time, Cassius has been a big fan of immersive theatre, especially an event called Punch Drunk where guests are invited to put on VR headsets in an London abandoned warehouse, with actors moving around the participants.

He also shares a glimpse into his artsy life on Instagram, where snaps show him DJing with friends or hanging out with his glamourous cousins, Lady Amelia Windsor and Flora Vesterberg (grand-daughter of Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent’s sister).

Cassius has previously joked that he is the ‘annoying’ child and added he took some time to settle into a career, unable to decide which genre he wanted to dedicate himself to.

He told Tatler: ‘I always knew I’d end up in the creative industries in some capacity, due to my upbringing, similar to everyone in my family.’

He was once dubbed one of the UK’s most eligible bachelors by Tatler.

FLORA VESTERBERG 

Today, Flora Vesterberg is known as a London-based art consultant with a website that introduces us to ‘a leading art historian and broadcaster’. 

She regularly shares snaps of the galleries she has explored and the shows she’s visited.

There’s little sign of just how close she is to the Royal Family – as the granddaughter of Princess Alexandra, who was first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Born in Edinburgh on December 15, 1994, Flora grew up in a 1780s country house on Scotland’s East coast.

She is the eldest child and only daughter of James Ogilvy and Julia Caroline Rawlinson. James, her father is the son of Princess Alexandra and Sir Angus Ogilvy.

Flora went to Rugby School – which is now co-educational – where she studied English, French and Fine Art at A-level before moving on to graduate with a degree in Art History from the University of Bristol.

This was followed by a Master’s degree from The Courtauld Institute of Art.

Flora has since put her degrees to good use, having become an art curator, speaker, lecturer, and writer.

She is an Ambassador of the Young Patrons’ Circle of the Victoria & Albert Museum and Co-chair of the Art History Link-Up Young Patrons’ Committee.

The royal is also the founder of the art website Arteviste, which she started in 2015, in an effort to ‘make the contemporary art market more accessible.’

The platform organises and hosts artist talks, panels and supper clubs in partnership with brands and connects them to this important area of the art market.

Alongside her editorial platform, she gives art talks for Gagosian, Sotheby’s Institute, Frieze Art Fair, Soho House and Burberry, as well as giving lectures at Cambridge University.

When she is not working, the young royal can also be seen at elegant events and exclusive parties across the globe, in typical socialite style.

Flora is always stepping out in style, whether it’s for artsy evenings in London, walking the runway for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, or Fashion Week parties in Milan.

Her exclusive connections get her VIP access to fashion-related events, including Cartier, Bulgari and Longchamp, as seen from her Instagram posts.

The stunning blonde has a clear love of fashion and is often seen donning the latest trendy tea dresses and sleek stylish trousers for her arty days out. 

Flora enjoys acting too, having once spent the day as an extra on the hit ITV drama Downton Abbey.

She lives with her husband Timothy Vesterberg, in London, where he works as a director of a private equity investment firm.

Formerly a professional ice hockey player in his native Sweden, the blonde Swede is a regular fixture on Flora’s Instagram page since they got together in May of 2019.

They were introduced to one another by their best man Alexander Danielsson, who the bride had met in Paris during an internship for Sotheby’s.

Timothy visited an exhibition that Flora had curated at Connolly and conversation struck between the pair over an ink drawing by Alba Hodsoll, according to Vogue, and the rest was history.

The couple are believed to have had somewhat of a whirlwind romance after meeting and announced their engagement in November 2019.

Sharing the news of her engagement on Instagram, she posted: ‘We’re engaged! My beloved Timothy asked me to marry him and we’re blissfully happy.’ Meanwhile, Timothy commented on the post: ‘Always and forever.’

Flora affectionately calls her fiancé ‘my lovely Swede’ on her Instagram captions, with the two enjoying travels across Germany and Devon since getting together.

The art curator originally tied the knot with the Swedish financier in September 2020 with the couple exchanging vows in a private ceremony at St James’s Palace amidst strict Covid restrictions.

However, the couple were joined by friends and family at St James in September 2021 as their marriage was blessed, with guests including Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh as well as Lord Frederick Windsor and his Peep Show actress wife Sophie Winkleman.

Flora wore a stunning white lace bridal Phillipa Lepley gown, her grandmother’s pearl-detailed tiara, and held a small posy, later posing with her husband underneath an archway adorned with white flowers.

While her ties to the Royal Family are relatively low-key, the little-known royal appears on the balcony for the Trooping the Colour alongside the rest of her extended family and often makes an appearance at royal weddings.

ALEXANDER OGILVY

Alexander Ogilvy is the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, Princess Alexandra, and 58th in line to the throne.

He is the son of James Ogilvy and wife Julia and is based in London after completing his studies of Economics and Computer Science at Brown University in Rhode Island.

The graduate, who leads a low-key life, was captain of the university rugby team and spent his gap year as a rugby coach in Australia.

Although he does not have a title, Elle Australia previously voted him one of 13 ‘hot eligible princes you can still marry’ following Harry’s engagement.

He caught the attention of royal fans after stepping out alongside his older sister Flora at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

LADY DAVINIA LEWIS

Lady Davina Windsor is the eldest daughter of the late Queen’s first cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, and a great granddaughter of George V. She was tenth in line to the throne.

Yet in contrast with high profile cousins such as Lady Amelia Windsor, Davina has followed a more private path through life. 

Indeed, her romance with eventual husband, New Zealand-born sheep shearer Gary Lewis remained firmly under wraps for a number of years before they eventually married in 2004.

They first met in met in Bali in 2000 when Lady Davina was on holiday.

She was relaxing having recently graduated from the University of the West of England while Gary was on a surfing trip. 

Mr Lewis comes from Gisborne on New Zealand’s North Island. His father, Larry, was a farmer and champion sheep shearer in New Zealand in the 1980s and his mother, Viki Carr, previously worked as a maid.

Davina and Gary moved in together, settling in a working-class suburb of Auckland before eventually moving to England.

A great-granddaughter of George V, Lady Davina tied the knot with Gary in 2004 in the private chapel at Kensington Palace, making Gary the first person of Maori descent to marry into the Royal Family.

The ceremony took place at the private chapel of Kensington Palace, Lady Davina’s childhood home.

Apart from the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the bride’s siblings, no other members of the royal family were present at the wedding – only close friends and family were invited.

Princess Anne’s ex-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, was also among the guests – as were 36 of Mr Lewis’s family who had made the journey from New Zealand.

The bride wore a simple satin gown with a sweetheart neckline and lace sleeves, and went against royal tradition by refusing to wear a tiara, choosing instead to weave flowers into her hair.

In a nod to her new role as a stepmother, her stepson, Ari, was chosen to give a reading.

In June 2010, Davina gave birth to a daughter, Senna Kowhai. Then, two years later, they welcomed a son, Tane Mahuta.

The marriage eventually ran into trouble, however, and after 14 years together, the pair divorced in 2018, with friends citing ‘cultural differences’ as one of the causes.

A friend told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s very sad, but their differences were just too great in the end.’

Born on 19 November 1977, Lady Davina was 10th in line to the throne at the time of her birth but was rapidly overtaken by the late Queen’s grandchildren, putting her now at 35th place.

She grew up in an apartment in Kensington Palace and went to Kensington Preparatory School in Notting Hill, followed by boarding school at the £35,000-per-year St George’s School, Ascot.

Lady Davina then took a degree in media studies at the University of West England.