THANGO NTWASA | What exactly does the British royal family do for a living?

There are numerous moments when we get to ask ourselves questions about the British royal family.

What do they do for a living, how do they live so long and why do the citizens of the UK keep paying them to exist.

The latter was especially pertinent due to Megxit – Megan and Harry’s swift exit from their royal home.

But it was also a prominent force in 1992 when Windsor Castle caught fire.

The whole ordeal may have roused sympathy from the public but while the late Queen Elizabeth dodged possible death, she certainly caught the ire of the public who were not willing to fork out the pounds to help the most famous of aristocrats.

Estimated to cost well over £30m, the expectations to fix the royal palace saw the Queen become the first British monarch to pay taxes, making it quite the stand from the British public.

With a jet-setting lifestyle, lavish designer threads and the best healthcare that money can buy – is there really a future for the world’s greatest influencers?

Like any other influencer out there, the royal family has a penchant for creating the illusion of wealth. You would think their net worth, if one could even call it that, racks up to billions but in actuality the longest reigning monarch herself was only worth millions.

Understanding their fortune is imbedded in the history of the family’s love affair with money. King George II famously ran them into financial ruin, something also done by his predecessors but which he excelled at a little too much in comparison.

The result of this saw the monarchy trade the ownership of their lands to the government in exchange for pocket money to fund their lavish lifestyle.

The actual money of the royal family comes from their inheritance, ranging from art pieces to their homes.

Something that certainly couldn’t pay for the damage to a centuries-old castle as all the other funds they get don’t go to their pockets but instead are used for their travel and the maintenance of their homes.

Now that Queen Elizabeth has passed, the question of their relevance has sprung up again, putting the British Empire at risk, especially at the hands of yet another messy king.

However, the crown has always found its way to relevance and often responsible for many important events.

It was Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert who held the very first trade fair which was attended by esteemed guests like Karl Marx.

While events like the Superbowl are sponsored by Pepsi, Prince Albert’s revolutionary event was sponsored by the very first soft drink – Schweppes.

The power couple that was Princess Diana and King Charles are still heralded for one of the most envied weddings.

And where there is envy, there is bound to be influence. The late Princess’s gown is still considered to be the ultimate choice.

It was heavily replicated throughout the '80s and '90s and has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years as more brides opt for larger-than-life sleeves, veils and trains.

Other than that, the British royal family makes their living out of encouraging people to visit the UK. After the Queen started paying tax to refurbish her home, the palace also started charging higher prices for visits to the palace.

So it should come as no surprise those other spaces that the family owns like Regent Street need as many visitors as possible.

As a result, removing the monarchy removes one of the UK’s most powerful influencers. Much like removing a Kardashian who stops following trends like waist trainers or SnapChat that guarantees their respective millions will drop it.

Even as King Charles prepares a scaled-down monarchy that wouldn’t be living it up as much they have before, the purpose of the royal family remains an important one for their followers on and off the streets of social media.

While America’s royal family, The Kardashians, has often gone to war over who looks the most interesting, the biggest battle yet to face the Windsors is whether or not the public will be keen on keeping up with the unlikeable life of King Charles.

And even as the family’s popularity grows, could his ascent be the makings of a new era or the first nail in their coffin?