In my view it can help slowly transitioning from a full balcony of a very extended Royal Family we saw during Elizabeth II's reign to a small number of people we will probably see during William V's reign. the current reign is the transitional period.
I don't know if William and Catherine are looking towards Spain where basically the King and Queen do all the work with Queen Sofia occasionally stepping and the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Sofia joining their parents from time to time. In years to come Leonor will get more involved but if we look at the Infantas Pilar, Margarita and Elena it's unlikely little Sofia will have a large role within royal representation.
The Norwegian Royals also seem to focus on the main line with younger siblings not being very active (princess Astrid being the exception).
In the Netherlands we saw Margriet and Pieter take on a larger role, partly due to the health issues prince Claus suffered. Constantijn and Laurentien are much less visible so the Dutch seem to be going in the Spanish and Norwegian direction.
In Belgium and Sweden the younger siblings do have a clear role. Though the Belgian government has already made clear that of the four children of the King only the Duchess of Brabant can expect a state income. Her three younger siblings will not get a donation like their aunt Astrid or uncle Laurent.
In Luxembourg public representation is also mainly limited to the reigning couple and the hereditary couple.
In some countries the size would explain the limited amount of active Royals (Luxembourg) yet it seems to work in Spain as well. So it will be interesting to see where the UK will be in 15 years time.
Look I am not an ageist. All I am saying is: its time to face the fact that a new generation will be taking over many of the duties of the 'older' royals in the very near future. I believe people should stay active their whole life but they should also be realistic. When your body ages your mental and physical strength declines whether you like it not. The Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra simply can't perform all their duties any longer. They are quite frail. That isn't sad, its a fact of life if you are granted old age. QEII also slowed down considerably the last years. Many of her patronages were transferred, her engagements were shortened and the frequency lowered.
Younger generations - indispensable for the future of many charities - have no idea who the Duke of Kent or Princess Alexandra are and can't really relate to them. Invest in younger royals who can carry the torch in stead of extinguishing the flame by waiting too long.
Sorry, but they are not '(very) elderly people'. My parents are in their mid and late 80s. They still run rings round and drive myself and my sister up the wall. They both still go for daily strolls along the beach, volunteer in one of the local charity shops. If the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra feel that they a capable of still carrying out their duties, more power to them. Do not consign someone to the dung heap just because they are in the Winter of their lives.
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