British royals: What awaits Charles, Kate, Harry & Co. in 2025

King Charles is probably not allowed to drink alcohol these days, according to doctor’s orders. But he will hopefully have been granted a drink on Christmas Day when the family toasted the past year over turkey in Sandringham. Or rather, that this second “annus horribilis” in the annals of the royals is finally over.

The world may be worried about 2025, but things can only look up for the British royals in the new year. The last one started with a long-lost princess, evil trolls and a badly edited photo. Then came the official cancer diagnoses of Charles and Kate, and in December the world learned that a Chinese spy had bought access to the palace from the broke Prince Andrew. It couldn’t have been worse.

Today, the monarch and his daughter-in-law are thankfully out of the woods, and Andrew has hopefully been safely locked away in the attic room at Sandringham to stop him getting up to any more mischief. Of course, Charles still has a few treatments to go, but Kate is glowing more beautifully than ever. With her catalog video in September, in which she announced the end of her chemotherapy, and the heartwarming Christmas carol service in December, the princess has finally achieved saint status. Kensington Palace’s press department is rumored to be planning a state visit by Prince William and Kate to Oman, the couple’s first official tour in three years.

The newly bearded heir to the throne William is increasingly turning his princely role into a royal role these days. Just recently he was sent to Paris for the inauguration of Notre Dame – probably because Prime Minister Keir Starmer didn’t want to have to shake Donald Trump’s hand before he was even officially US President. William dutifully let Trump almost dislocate his arm when he shook his hand in Paris. People at Buckingham Palace were beside themselves with pride

This may all sound a bit exaggerated, and yet: Is Charles, who is in poor health, perhaps planning to hand the scepter over to his firstborn in 2025? The idea isn’t that far-fetched, as Queen Camilla is no longer completely fit either. She recently battled pneumonia, not fun at her age. In any case, she would much rather sit at home on her sofa and read books than have to give speeches or have people take pictures of her on their cell phones like she was a wax figure at Madame Tussaud’s.

However, whether the British want to see tens of millions of taxpayers’ money wasted again in a three-day coronation ceremony is another matter. It was only in November that they learned that the coronation of King Charles had cost them 87 million euros. – and summed up what many Brits think.

Anyone hoping for a reconciliation between Princes William and Harry in the new year is likely to be disappointed. Because of the deep gulf that yawns between the short-tempered William and his renegade brother, even the magical powers of the now unearthly Kate fail. According to rumors, Harry is at least trying to reconcile with King Charles – his conscience has probably been plaguing him since his father’s cancer diagnosis, but money worries are also likely to play a certain role.

The renegade prince and his wife Meghan are slowly running out of orders and donors in the USA. After a lukewarm season of the Sussexes on Netflix – as expected, almost no one was interested in a documentary about the rich people’s sport of polo – the streaming platform is unlikely to renew the contract with Harry and Meghan. The prince’s royal fairy dust is now “so last season, darling” in fast-paced Hollywood, and now good advice is at least as expensive as the family’s lifestyle in Montecito.

So perhaps the world will soon see Meghan make a comeback in the legal series “Suits,” which once made her moderately famous. Or she could play herself, in a film adaptation of her brief time in the palace. Harry’s entry into the “jungle camp” or an appearance in the British version of “Let’s Dance” would be more daring. Both shows have helped many yesterday’s celebrities find new relevance. The best example: the right-wing populist Nigel Farage.

But Charles would probably rather dig deep into his pockets to support his son than have to watch him chew on goat testicles in front of an audience of millions in the Australian jungle. Because the last thing the king needs right now is another embarrassing relative.