Royal Family 'has an image problem' but 'must face up to biggest danger'

On the 100th anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth’s birth, a new portrait of the working members of the Royal Family was released. The photo, taken in Buckingham Palace , shows King Charles and Queen Camilla surrounded by their family who carry out regular work on behalf of the monarchy. The Prince and Princess of Wales feature in the photo, as well as Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester , the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra . Prince William and Princess Kate are the youngest royals in the photo by a huge margin, with most in the photo over the age of 70. Charles and Camilla are 77 and 78 respectively, while Princess Anne is 75, and Edward and Sophie are 62 and 61. The Duke of Gloucester , a first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth , is 81 years of age, while his wife, Danish-born Birgitte, is 79. The Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra are the oldest working royals, as the Duke celebrated his 90th birthday last October, while Alexandra turned 89 on Christmas Day. With the new image shining a stark light on the ageing monarchy, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that the new portrait could be why there is such a separation between the Royal Family and Britain’s young people. Jennie told the Mirror : “There’s no getting away from the fact that the image of the working royals today is of a largely elderly group of people - and that does add to a disconnect between the monarchy and the younger generation.” Looking back at the monarchy in recent years, Jennie said that there was more hope for the Firm to connect with younger generations when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were still working royals. “When William and Harry were the pin up lads, and then Catherine and Meghan came on the scene, young people were naturally more engaged and enthused,” Jennie explained. “And I have always thought that apathy, particularly amongst young people, is the biggest danger to the popularity of the monarchy.” With Prince William previously alluding to his plans to have a ‘slimmed-down’ monarchy, Jennie believes there is little room for younger members of the Firm to step into official roles, but their support from the sidelines could help bolster the Royal Family’s image. Jennie said: “The Palace does need to find a way to keep [the younger generation] interested. And it’s not easy when there is also intense pressure to make the monarchy accountable and keep down the costs of the working Royals. “And that’s why I think it’s unlikely that people like Lady Louise or James, The Earl of Wessex, will take up official royal duties – even if they want to, which is pretty unlikely anyway.” The royal expert added that the Firm should be working to include non-working members of the family in various events due to their popularity, while also starting to introduce the next generation of royals into more official engagements. “That’s not to say that some of the younger crowd shouldn’t take part in Royal events,” Jennie said. “Perhaps the Palace should tap into the huge popularity of Zara and Mike Tindall . It would have been nice to see them, and their children, included in that photo marking the Centenary of the late Queen’s birth. “In fact it would have been better to have had all the youngsters – including George, Charlotte and Louis – in the picture. I’m not sure why the Palace felt it had to be simply the working Royals. So, yes, I do think that the Palace has an image problem on its hands and it needs to think up ways of interesting today’s youngsters in the work and lives of the royal family.”