Royal heartbreak: Why William, Kate, Harry and Meghan will suffer after Andrew resignation

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge joined the Queen last night as Her Majesty hosted NATO leaders at Buckingham Palace. Prince William did not join the Duchess of Cambridge, however, as he was on

royal tour in Kuwait. Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently on family leave with baby Archie, and set to return to their royal duties in the new year.

The Royal Family has faced a crisis in recent weeks with Prince Andrew taking the unprecedented step of resigning from royal duties at the behest of the Queen.

Prince William has shown how he is ready to step up to more of a leadership role in the family, as he reportedly supported Her Majesty in her decision.

However, William and his brother, alongside the Duchesses, may face having to add even more to their royal workload.

Podcast Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features the Daily Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers.

In the latest episode, Mr Myers explained how the Duke of York, after his royal resignation, will no longer be part of official occasions with senior royals. 

Mr Myers continued: “So, you know, you might see William, Kate, Harry and Meghan involved in this.

READ MORE: Expert explains why Beatrice and Eugenie won't take Andrew's roles

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“He was a patron of 230-odd charities, it is an awful lot.”

Mr Myers also gave his opinion that Buckingham Palace would not make Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie working royals in order to take over their father’s roles.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been increasingly stepping up to more senior royal roles since William resigned from his job as an Air Ambulance pilot in 2017 in order to take on more

senior royal duties. 

Both William and Harry also took on some of Prince Philip’s roles in 2017 when the Duke of Edinburgh retired. 

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Prince William holds 38 positions with charitable organisations, according to the Royal Family’s website, and is patron or president of many of them.

In 2018, Prince William attended 150 events in the UK, and 70 engagements on overseas tours.

The Duchess of Cambridge, who was on maternity leave with Prince Louis in 2018, competed 64 UK engagements and 23 aboard.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex received her first patronages from the Queen this January, and currently has six.

The Duke  of Sussex had 108 engagements in the UK and 85 overseas in 2018. 

Meanwhile Meghan Markle, who officially became a royal in May 2018, had 45 engagements in the UK and 51 overseas.

The Duke of York, however, completed 259 UK engagements, and 135 abroad in 2018.

The royal brothers will therefore potentially be facing a huge increase in their charitable commitments if the Duke of York’s 230 patronages are split between them.

Prince Andrew, although no longer holding any patronages, currently retains his military honours.

However, there have been calls from senior members of the Armed Forces for the Duke to renounce these, too.

Military sources speaking to The Times on condition of anonymity last month indicated that, as Prince Philip had given up his military appointments upon his retirement, “That is exactly what

Prince Andrew should do”.

If this were to happen, Prince William and Prince Harry could face even more responsibilities, as the two brothers are also very actively involved in their military obligations. 

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