It’s been a week since the funeral of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, the much beloved patriarch of the family. Though the official mourning period has ended, The Queen is no doubt very much missing her husband but, as they say, the show must go on. Today, the Queen has already had her social media team take steps to reflect the new reality of her now solo reign. 

It’s both a reflection of the partner she’s lost and a sign that the monarch is going through a season of change.

On the official Royal Family social media accounts, there was a smiling picture of herself and her prince, but now it is just a smiling picture of the Queen.

To a certain extent, the change is jarring as she spent nearly 70 years of her reign with him by her side. As couples who have been married for decades usually die within close succession of each other, it’s debatable if she will make it to her Platinum Jubilee.

She has been busy though, being pictured at least a couple of times driving her new corgis puppies out for a walk on the grounds of Windsor Castle. As monarch, she also remains Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, meeting with government officials will keep her mind off her loss.

But change is in the air. Between the fallout of Megxit and the disastrous Prince Andrew interview, the monarch remains strong but still somewhat vulnerable. Can the monarchy survive her inevitable death?

Yes, but likely only if it does a couple of critical things.

The first is to ensure that Prince Andrew either fully participates in the FBI investigation, or that he never returns to royal duties. While the future King Charles III will need all of the help that he can get, the Duke of York should not have any role if questions still linger.

If he can clear up his involvement in the illegal activities of Jeffery Epstein, he may be able to reform his image. However, that still may be next to impossible. Virginia Robert’s allegations are incredibly serious, but also nearly impossible to verify. Did he sleep with her? Did he know for sure that she was underage? Unless there is a video of their encounter and he acknowledges her age, it remains a he said, she said situation, and thus unwinnable for Andrew.

The other looming situation is Megxit and Meghan and Harry’s continued exploits in the United States, with titles in tow. 

Between the supposed mega-millions deals with Netflix and Spotify, Meghan and Harry were riding rather high in the beginning, but then came the train wreck and almost fully debunked interview with Oprah Winfrey came out. The royal family, especially Harry’s father and brother, were horrified, embarrassed and disappointed by the explosive accusations leveled by the couple.  

The tell-all was nothing more than low-grade tabloid fodder, much of which was fully debunked or could never be verified. It also made the couple look entitled, petty, whiney, arrogant, out-of-touch and, frankly, almost delusional.

When it comes to Harry and Meghan, Prince William would be more decisive about how to deal with them, but Prince Charles will likely be softer on his son and hopeful to give the wayward prince a way back in when the marriage inevitably falls apart.

However, the best thing to do with the situation is to strip either their titles, which they’ve fully exploited for moneymaking purposes against the Megxit guidelines, and/or also their HRH. He should also consider updating the Letters of Patent to eliminate the possibility of a title for Archie and his younger sister. 

At this point, the children don’t need titles since they won’t have a role in the monarchy, especially as it’s unlikely that Meghan will ever let Harry take the children back to his home country after the divorce. It’s entirely superfluous to have two children in Santa Barbara walking around telling people that they’re a prince and princess of a country they’ve barely spent any time in.

But removing the titles would be devastating to Harry, who would lose a piece of himself, and Meghan, who would lose out on the only thing that’s made her relevant in Hollywood and destroy any future business opportunities. 

Their titles were the principal reason why they got any of those business deals, neither have any experience in this new field. This is especially true about Harry, who has been coddled most of his life. While I don’t doubt Meghan’s hustle, you have to produce compelling and engaging content all the time to get the million-dollar payouts. Their first Spotify podcast was a bit of a failure, playing second fiddle to whale noises and receivedlukewarm response as best. Their first Netflix project has been called out for exploiting injured veterans and making money off of the Invictus Games, something that was previously simply a nonprofit project.

As they continue to exploit and use their titles, they will continue to lower the monarchy to the level of the Kardashian’s and weaken Charles’ rule. It’s best to sever relationships, remove all titles and privileges, and work on slowly reintroducing Harry to the public after the divorce. But that’s easier said than done.

So, after dealing with the problem children, what else should Charles do to secure the future of his rule for his son and family?

Continue to raise and highlight the Cambridges’, their work and family. They are the future, and Prince Charles’ popularity is middling at best. Putting more attention on the couple and their children will help the younger generations connect to the monarchy and secure it for the future.

Keep Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex on the payroll and raise their profile as well. They’ve been consistent in their service, and despite some initial bumps in the road early in their marriage and royal career, they have gained a solid reputation and it’s evident how much they love and respect the institution.

Consider bringing in Princess Beatrice and/or Princess Eugenie in to take up some of the slack left by Harry and Meghan. The young princesses no doubt enjoy their private lives and careers, but they could bring their Uncle Charles some much needed support as he pursues his vision slimmed down monarchy.

Do you think Prince Charles can hang on to the monarchy? Will he take Harry and Meghan’s titles, and should he?

Picture from Royal Family Twitter.