King Charles confronted with 'problem he has to deal with' as he maps out plan for Royal Family

He warned that there was a risk the King's desires for a slimmed down monarchy would leave the royals overstretched and unable to fulfil all of their duties.

Fitzwilliams told GB News: "I think one of the problems - and this is something that King Charles is going to have to deal with - as we saw in the first set of photographs released after the highly successful coronation weekend, there were 12 working members of the royal family, of which only four were below the age of 70.

"So this does raise the point."

He warned that it would be another decade before Prince George, Charlotte, or Louis were ready to start helping with the work load.

"Of course George and Charlotte and Louis played a role of one sort or another in the different days in the during the coronation weekend, " he said.

"I mean it was wonderful to see George as a page of honour, but it is obviously going to be a long time before any of them are able to participate in royal engagements actively.

"And this does mean that, firstly, The Waleses are the future of the monarchy, there's absolutely no doubt about it.

"But secondly, who's going to take up all these hundreds of patronages at the moment which are at the moment vacant?"

His remarks echoed similar comments made by Princess Anne in an interview to Canadian TV shortly before the Coronation.

The Princess Royal told CBC News that the Royal Family had already "slimmed-down" in recent decades and that it would be hard to cut it any further.

"I think the 'slimmed-down' [monarchy] was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment," she said.

"I mean, it doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing, I have to say.

"I'm not quite sure what else, you know, we can do."