After the Queen: What comes next for the British monarchy

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King Charles III.

The man who’s been for almost 74 years in the shadow of his remarkable mother, Queen Elizabeth II, will now take over as head of the House of Windsor.

It’s believed he will be Charles III, but he could take one of his other names as king — Philip, Arthur or George.

It will cause a seismic shift within the Royal Family.

One decision to be made is what title his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will take. Before she died, the Queen made it clear she wants Camilla to be titled as Queen Consort. A decade ago, that might have raised eyebrows. In recent years, Camilla has become if not popular, then accepted as Charles’ great love and his loyal companion over the years. She has kept to herself and works hard at Charles’ side. While she could have claimed the title Princess of Wales, in deference to Charles’s first wife, Diana, she has never done so and instead styles herself the Duchess of Cornwall.

You can expect a leaner, greener — and perhaps meaner — Crown.

Charles has long made it clear that he wants to streamline the monarchy and cut off hangers-on from the public purse. This has caused battles with his siblings in the past. The Queen was always reluctant to take some of the tough decisions necessary to cut off the dead wood.

The disgraced Prince Andrew has made it clear he wants the same privileges for his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, that Princes William and Harry enjoy. With Andrew stepping aside from royal duties in the shadow of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, he’s left with very little bargaining power on their behalf. Charles has signalled that he’s not happy with his younger brother and will likely ensure he never returns to public life. He could be slimmed out of the royal nucleus for good. If Eugenie and Beatrice want to enjoy all the perks of royal life, they’ll have to step up their participation in public life in a big way.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, will become Prince and Princess of Wales.

The loss of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex to a California lifestyle has left the Royal Family thin on the ground when it comes to warm bodies to carry out official events. That opens up the possibility that Charles may finally cut loose the Sussexes and take away their title. There have been calls in the British media for him to do so. Meghan is already flirting with politics by campaigning for paid parental leave. That’s a big no-no for Royals.

Also, they’ve been cashing in on their title with Netflix and other deals, which is also a Royal non-starter. The Queen always indulged Harry, who was one of her favourite grandchildren. Will Charles continue to do that once he’s the head of the firm?

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Watch for a major game of musical palaces when Charles takes over. He’s let it be known that he intends to “live over the store.” Buckingham Palace will no longer be a major royal household. Charles will take modest accommodation there to use as an office and the rest of the palace will be opened up on a more frequent basis to the public.

It’s expected Charles will keep his beloved Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire, as his main residence. He’s immensely proud of the gardens he’s developed there.

Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have already moved to Adelaide Cottage, close to Windsor Castle. It’s possible they could move into the castle at a future date.

Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s Highland residence that was bought by Queen Victoria, will likely be turned into a museum dedicated to the Queen.

That leaves empty Clarence House, Charles and Camilla’s London residence.

The hardest working royal, Princess Anne, will likely just keep on her stalwart round of engagements. Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, have stepped up more recently. Edward is reportedly in line to inherit his father’s title of Duke of Edinburgh.

Charles is also a keen environmentalist. With those credentials, he will likely seek to make the royal estates greener. He could insist the royal cars go electric. Right now, the royal brand is the gas-guzzling Range Rover. It could be that Charles will drop the brand that’s become so closely identified with the royals in favour of a more fuel-efficient mode of transport.

Those decisions aren’t always up the royals to make as there are security considerations their protection officers will insist on. It’s unlikely Charles would go with the American Tesla, but he may seek a British-made equivalent. The British icon Jaguar is set to be entirely electric by 2025 and even the stately Rolls Royce plans to unveil its “Silent Shadow” electric car next year.