Princes Charles and William ‘will lead summit within weeks to decide the Royal Family’s future’

Princes Charles and William will meet to discuss the future of the monarchy after the death of Prince Philip, reports say.

The two heirs will reportedly plan with the Queen which members of ‘The Firm’ will be working Royals and what they should do.

It comes after the Duke of Edinburgh‘s death on April 9 raised questions over if his hundreds of patronages should be passed down.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s departure complicated matters by reducing the number of people available to help the monarch in high-profile roles.

Princes Charles (pictured at his father’s funeral on Saturday) and William will meet to discuss the future of the monarchy after the death of Prince Philip, reports say

The two heirs (pictured, William at his grandfather’s funeral on Saturday) will reportedly plan with the Queen which members of ‘The Firm’ will be working Royals and what they should do

Senior royals including Princes Charles and William gather to walk behind Prince Philip’s coffin during Saturday’s funeral in Windsor 

Duke of Edinburgh’s death (pictured, his funeral on Saturday) on April 9 raised questions over if his hundreds of patronages should be passed down

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s (pictured during their Oprah chat) departure complicated matters by reducing the number of people available to help the monarch in high-profile roles

Sources told the Telegraph official and personal duties cannot be decided separately because they are too closely linked.

Prince Charles is said to be taking the lead in the talks due to him becoming king first and because any immediate decisions will impact his reign.

But he is understood to have wanted his son the Duke of Cambridge involved every step of the way for major policies that affect him when he inherits the throne.

Meanwhile Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex are believed to be stepping into the void left by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s exit.

They are expected to take on bigger roles despite already fulfilling 544 duties as of the last year before the coronavirus lockdown.

Harry and Meghan did 558 jobs between them in 2019, meaning the Royals have to review how these will be redistributed.

Prince Andrew, who stepped back from duties after his Newsnight interview over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, also has roles that may need to be dished out.

The Duke of York, Prince Philip and Prince Harry have hundreds of patronages and military titles that now need to be taken on.

Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex (pictured with their children on Saturday) are believed to be stepping into the void left by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s exit

Prince Andrew (pictured on Saturday), who stepped back from duties after his Newsnight interview over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, also has roles that may need to be dished out

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge are expected to decide over the next few weeks and months how they will tackle the issues.

They are said to have rocketed in importance for the Queen and Charles after Harry and Meghan’s review period ended last month.

But the decline in the Duke of Edinburgh’s health followed by his death just over a week ago shifted the focus.

Prince Charles had wanted a smaller monarchy made up of the Queen, Prince Philip, himself, his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, the Cambridges and Prince Harry.

In these plans the Duke of Sussex was expected to help out until William and Kate’s children George, Charlotte and Louis grew up and took on roles.

The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge (pictured with the other royals on Saturday) are expected to decide over the next few weeks and months how they will tackle the issues

Insiders revealed Charles, William and the Queen (pictured on Saturday) will need to discuss whether to continue with thousands of engagements annually or cut them down

Insiders revealed Charles, William and the Queen will need to discuss whether to continue with thousands of engagements annually or cut them down.

A source said: ‘The question is whether you start off by deciding how many patronages and engagements there should be, and then work out how many people are needed to achieve them, or whether you decide how many people there should be, which will dictate how many engagements and patronages they can take on.’

Prince Charles took part in 550 Royal duties in 2019 while the Duke of Cambridge focused on 220.

Prince William is believed to prefer a targeted approach so he can lend more support to each cause.

Currently around 15 members of the Royal Family take part in more than 3,000 duties per year.

500 years of history in piper’s lament 

By Arthur Martin for The Daily Mail  

As the duke’s coffin was lowered into the royal vault, a lament was played by the Pipe Major of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Pictured: Colour Sergeant Peter Grant

Commonly heard during Remembrance Sunday services, Flowers of the Forest is a traditional folk song commemorating England’s defeat of Scottish king James IV at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

The significance of the key role given to the Pipe Major, 33-year-old Colour Sergeant Peter Grant, is two-fold. 

Firstly, Prince Philip was Royal Colonel of the Highlanders, 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

And secondly, the Queen has started almost every weekday since she came to the throne with the sound of a lone piper playing beneath her window – a tradition dating back to Queen Victoria.

Members of the Royal Household can practically set their watches by the pipes, which start at 9am and last for exactly 15 minutes.

At Philip’s funeral, the piper’s lament was followed by Buglers of the Royal Marines sounding The Last Post.

Moments later a rendition of the Reveille was played by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry.

Buglers then played Action Stations, a stirring call to arms on naval warships.

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