Princess Anne might not see retirement from public royal life in her future anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean other members of the British royal family have felt the same way over the years.
The Princess Royal was asked about potential retirement plans by the Press Association in an interview published Friday, January 24. “I don’t think there’s a retirement programme on this particular life,” she explained. “It really isn’t written in, no. It isn’t really an option, no, I don’t think so.”
In general, members of the royal family serve in their post for life. Though some, such as the late Prince Phillip, take steps back from public life due to age and health-related concerns, others have voluntarily downsized their own roles out of necessity or desire.
For example, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their own plans to “step back” from senior royal duties in January 2020. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew likely had no choice but to announce his own decision to cease public duties in 2019 amid controversy and fallout surrounding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Following their shocking step away from their senior royal duties in March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have distanced themselves from their relatives across the pond. Nearly one year after their initial step away, Buckingham Palace confirmed in February 2021 that Harry and the Suits alum were not going to return as working royals. […]
Here is a look at members of the royal family who have retired or stepped back from their roles.
Prince Phillip
Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Phillip decided to step back from public life in 2017, the closest to retirement he could get. Phillip’s final official royal act was attending a parade of the Royal Marines at Buckingham Palace.
Phillip, then age 95, made his announcement in May 2017.
“His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, the Duke has the full support of the Queen,” Buckingham Palace explained in a statement at the time.
“Prince Philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August, both individually and accompanying the Queen. Thereafter, the Duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time,” the statement continued. “Her Majesty will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements with the support of members of the Royal Family.”
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent made a similar announcement in 2022 when they stepped back from public life at the ages of 80 and 77, respectively.
At the time, Prince Michael was a “non-working” member of the family but still attended nearly 200 engagements a year. Princess Michael was heavily involved in the work of nearly 50 charities.
Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson
Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, infamously stepped back from royal life after Edward abdicated the throne so he could marry Simpson, an American divorcée. The decision had a massive ripple effect on the family and led to King George VI’s ascension – and eventually, the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II.
The pair also left the United Kingdom for France, where they lived until Edward’s death in 1972.
For many, it’s important to point out Edward would have been dismissed from his post if he had not chosen to resign. “They were not true resignations. They were dismissals,” Rober Lacey, consultant to The Crown, told People in 2020. “If those two men had not resigned they would have been expelled in any case. In the case of Edward VIII, he would not have been sanctified as King and in the case of Andrew, the institutions that made him royal would have parted company with him in the most humiliating way. This seems in every way to be a genuine resignation.”
Prince Andrew
Like Prince Edward before him, Prince Andrew retired from public royal life of his own free will before he could be forced to do so. Under a firestorm of controversy, the Duke of York, 64 at the time(?), said his relationship with disgraced pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was behind the decision.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstance relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” Prince Andrew explained in a statement. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein…I deeply sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required,” he also said.
The British royal family may appear prim and proper to the public, but they’ve faced their fair share of controversies over the years. One of the biggest royal scandals in recent memory came when King Charles III and the late Princess Diana announced their separation in 1992 after 10 years of marriage. At the time, […]
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, shocked many when they announced their decision to “step back” from senior royal duties in January 2020, relocating permanently to the United States in Montecito, Calif. months later. “We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the pair’s joint statement read.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.”
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