Kate Middleton is taking a break from royal duties due to her cancer battle, but Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice could become The Crown's secret weapon amid royal health crises.
The Princesses of York attended the Buckingham Palace Garden Party on Tuesday, May 21, alongside Prince William, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall, showing they are willing to help out when called upon.
“Yeah, it was quite a nice surprise," Cameron Walker told GB News. “Prince William does want to see his cousins take on a bit more of an informal role when it comes to engagements."
“The idea of a slimmed-down monarchy might start to be a thing of the past," Walker continued. “It is a case of Prince William taking after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and rallying around his cousins like Queen Elizabeth did and asking them to help out as and when, so watch this space.”
Although the princesses were at the engagement, they still aren't senior royals.
“I suspect we may see Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall and Peter Philips out and about and doing more engagements for the royal family in an informal capacity," the commentator added. “But I must stress that does not mean becoming working royals.”
In an Instagram post, Eugenie admitted she was excited to help the Windsors.
“Come rain or shine, I was delighted to support my family yesterday to meet some special individuals at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party who have gone above and beyond to support their local communities and the country," the art director penned.
OK! previously reported a source said the princesses will "will do what they can" to help the Prince of Wales due to the "unique circumstances" the brood is under.
"They are closer than lots of cousins might be – they have that unique shared experience and unusual life they all lead," the source noted.
"This is an institution that they all belong to, perhaps in slightly different ways in terms of how they serve it, but they all believe in it and its future and want to do what they can to support it," the source said.
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The Yorks often attend royal engagements while juggling traditional careers, as Beatrice is a tech strategist and Eugenie is an art director.
"They've always had a sense of service and duty, probably inherited from their grandmother. And they've shown that they can be trusted in the spotlight and I think that's appreciated," they noted.
"The royal family recognizes that they're very charming, quite dutiful young women who are very at ease and good in situations where they're meeting the public and when they're doing their charity work," the source explained. "Whenever they've done that before, they haven't really put a foot wrong."