I think we're at an extraordinary moment in royal history.
I mean I've been writing about royalty for about 30
years
and to be on the cusp of a of an
entirely new era
is extraordinary. I mean we you know Elizabeth the second
broke every almost every single record in the book.
Not quite. She didn't break Louis the 14th of
France's record for the longest reign.
He started when he was 8.
But you know she was this Titanic figure of sort
of post war
20th, 21st century history. To follow on from her is
is such a challenge. I mean talk about filling,
you know big shoes. So to see that process happen,
to see how
one of the most famous
public figures in this country takes on this job
in his mid 70s, it's it's real history in the
making stuff.
You know it was just extraordinary to have two major
royal medical bulletins on on on the same what within
a couple of hours.
I think what was equally surprising was the level of
detail.
I think it says a lot about the new tone,
the new style of the monarchy.
I mean, Charles release was
extremely personal. I mean I've never seen words like enlarged
prostate,
you know, Buckingham Palace report before.
But he's taken a view that,
you know, if you're a monarch,
you leave and one of the things he can do
is lead by example.
And then in Britain in the last 24 hours,
online searches for prostate cancer,
prostate enlarged, you know, the keywords have
have gone up. I think the latest figures are
1000%. So you know what he's done is similar to
what a number of celebrities and well known public figures
do when they face some personal process,
they talk about it to raise levels of awareness.
So I think what all this points to is
it's a greater degree of transparency.
I mean, they're not obviously going to suddenly,
you know, let the cameras in and film everything,
but it's definitely a move towards greater
openness to with the media and with the public.
I think what we probably going to see is
not private citizens who have to be homes of the
royal family suddenly being elevated to frontline royalty.
I don't think that's going to happen.
But I think what you will see is when there
are big events,
when there are occasions where you do need some extra,
some extra support. For example,
if there's someone like a state banquet or a state
visit,
or those moments where we're actually need of a bit
of a royal team around you.
Then I could see a situation,
yes, where where someone like
Zara Phillips is being, you know,
invited, encouraged to play a part.
But I wouldn't expect to see
her or Mike Tindall or anybody else like that
having a sort of formal role on attending formal royal
engagements.
Because you're either fully royal or you're not,
you can't be sort of halfway.
I think the future for Prince Andrew is,
well, it's very uncertain. It's definitely not a return to
public life,
which is what he wants.
If you're going to play a part in public life
that is predicated on the fact the public want you
and self evidently the public,
they don't particularly want to see the Duke of York.
They just expect him to keep a low profile.
I think that's that's a difficult thing to ask someone
who's been
in the public eye since they were born.
He's fit he's he doesn't drink
he's in his early 60s
and yet and so he's got a long time ahead
of it.
But I mean no no real sort of purpose as
a royal.
It's a rather it's a sort of full on existence
and essentially no one,
no one knows.