Will Princess Charlotte be a working royal and keep her security? Here's what could be in store for Kate and William's only daughter

Will Princess Charlotte be a working royal and will she keep her security? You might find yourself wondering how things might change for the Prince and Princess of Wales’s daughter.

From whether Prince George can be King as a child to if Pippa Middleton will get a title, there are so many questions that come to mind when you think about the future of the monarchy. When Prince William becomes King one day life will not only change dramatically for him and Kate, but also for their children. Prince George, Charlotte and Louis are already instantly recognisable and the Princess in particular often stands out at royal appearances thanks to her confidence. Princess Charlotte is currently third in the royal line of succession and some fans might be curious about whether she'll become a full-time working royal.

His Majesty’s vision for a streamlined monarchy has certainly put a lot of attention on working vs non working royals. Here’s our predictions for whether Princess Charlotte will be a working royal, when she might become one and what this could mean for her security status.

Will Princess Charlotte be a working royal? 

Princess Charlotte will probably be a working royal as she holds such a significant position in the Royal Family. She’s currently third in the royal line of succession and the daughter and sister of future Kings. All of the late Queen Elizabeth’s children have been working royals and three still are, whilst Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 

This makes it seem very likely that when Prince William is monarch and she is considered old enough, Princess Charlotte - along with Prince George and Prince Louis - will be working royals too.

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Of course, if Princess Charlotte ever comes to the conclusion that she’s firmly against taking on full-time royal duties at any point, she could perhaps discuss this with her fellow senior royals. Her uncle Prince Harry and Meghan also stepped back from royal duties in 2020, setting the precedent that a working royal can sometimes change their mind. 

Given the intense reactions the Sussexes’ decision sparked, however, and the speculation about the Sussexes’ relationship with the wider family that’s endured ever since, Princess Charlotte might not want to take a similar path. Ultimately, it remains most likely that at some point she will become a senior working royal.

When will Princess Charlotte become a working royal? 

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s daughter might not become a working royal until she’s at least 18 and possibly later into her mid-twenties. King Charles undertook his first official public engagement at the age of 16, though admittedly he was the heir apparent to the throne at the time. Princess Anne as Queen Elizabeth’s second child is perhaps the royal we can look to most when it comes to predicting what might lie in store for Princess Charlotte. 

Princess Anne was 18 when she began public engagements, although she chose not to go to university and wanted to embrace the opportunities of travelling with the Queen. In contrast most of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren including Prince William have gone to university and it’s possible that Princess Charlotte would want to follow in her father and mother’s footsteps. 

Attending university is also a brilliant opportunity to live life largely away from the royal spotlight and so she might want to experience this level of independence before committing to life as a working royal. Princess Charlotte could also possibly begin to champion important causes or develop links with charities or organisations before becoming a full-time working royal too.

Will Princess Charlotte have security?

As the daughter of the future King and Queen who have 24-hour security, Princess Charlotte is currently protected by their officers. Given how high up she is in the royal line of succession it’s likely that this will continue, though it might be that one day Princess Charlotte’s security becomes dependent upon - or at least linked to - her being a working royal. It’s understood that Princess Anne and Prince Edward both have public-funded protection officers but only when they’re undertaking official duties as working royals.

When they return to their homes at Gatcombe Park and Bagshot Park or are generally off duty, it’s believed that they aren’t covered by this security. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is said to have lost his own public-funded security after he stopped being a working royal.

In light of this, it seems at least possible that Princess Charlotte will continue to receive public-funded security only if she becomes a working royal. But as this is something that is definitely expected to happen, she will probably have it for the rest of her life when she’s undertaking official duties.