King Charles III has been warned against making major changes to the monarchy as his reign as king begins.
Charles, 73, became king immediately after the Queen's death on September 8, though a date for his coronation hasn't yet been set.
Now that Britain's longest-reigning monarch has been laid to rest, her eldest son's time and duties as king kick off.
Although plans are yet to be officially confirmed, the new head of state has been considering several changes to how the monarchy operates.
Besides plans to to open sections of Buckingham Palace and even Balmoral to the public, he has also been considering restructuring the British monarchy for quite some time.
Here's what a slimmed-down monarchy under King Charles III's rule might look like and the various reasons he might be considering it.
What is a slimmed-down monarchy?
The line of succession on the Royal Family's website currently shows the 22 highest-ranking members of the Firm.
If he goes ahead with reducing the size of the monarchy, Charles plans to cut it to just seven key members, all senior working royals.
According to royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, the slimmed-down version could include King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex Sophie, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Princess Royal Anne.
The original line-up also may have included Prince Harry before he stepped down from active royal duties, Schofield added.
The idea might be to draw attention to the King and Queen Consort as well as Prince William and Kate as the "future of the monarchy".
The slimmed-down monarchy model was previously adopted by Sweden's King Carl Gustaf, who stripped almost all of his grandchildren of their HRH titles in 2019, except the future "heir and spare" to the throne.
So, one thing King Charles will have to consider is the next generation of royals, and which members would be included.
Prince William's three children are young but high in rank. Prince George, nine, is second in line to the throne and Britain's future king.
His seven-year-old sister Princess Charlotte is the "spare" and third in line, while younger brother Prince Louis, four, is fourth in line.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children Archie, three, and one-year-old Lilibet are sixth and seventh in line to the throne, though they currently don't have HRH titles.
However, if Charles follows in the footsteps of Sweden's king, he could end up keeping only Prince George and Princess Charlotte's titles.
Why does King Charles want to slim down monarchy?
There could be several reasons why King Charles is considering a slimmed-down monarchy.
According to The Times, it might have to do with the Royal Family's reputation. The publication reported that because various royal press offices are left to operate on their own, it becomes to difficult to deal with various royal scandals that crop up.
There may also be a financial reasoning behind it. Reducing the number of royals who undertake official duties would mean reducing those who are funded by the sovereign grant, which is the public fund used to support them.
Why King Charles being warned not to slim down monarchy?
A constitutional expert has warned that idea to slim down monarchy may not be a good one.
Professor Vernon Bogdanor, of the Centre for British Politics and Government at King’s College London, identified a key issue with having fewer working royals, saying that the King "can't do it all".
He explained: "The Queen and the new King and all the rest, can’t do it all on their own.
"When people build, say a new town hall in Wigan, or a new library in Hartlepool, they would like a member of the Royal Family to open it."
This is where minor royals who may be cut under the slimmed down monarchy have an important public service role to play.
