The Queen selects new 'Firm of Eight' but some key family members haven't been chosen

The Queen is said to have chosen a group of eight senior members of the royal family to be in her new firm. 

• The Queen has reportedly chosen a new group of eight royals to represent the monarchy.
• The likes of Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Sophie Wessex have been selected, but other key family members didn't make the cut.
• This royal news comes after Princess Eugenie moved out of Frogmore Cottage after just six weeks.

It's been reported that Her Majesty has hand picked the select squad of royals in the hope they can make public appearances together over the next year, following a long year of virtual engagements.

The special Firm of Eight includes Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla of Cornwall, Prince Edward, Countess Sophie of Wessex, Princess Anne and Her Majesty the Queen.

The new group of representative royals made their first appearance together at the end of Prince William and Kate Middleton's UK train tour earlier this month, as part of the Queen's plan for the family members to stand together at the steps of Windsor Castle in the midst of the pandemic.

"The family are united in exploring the possibilities in working with each other to highlight the causes dear to their hearts, helping each other and the country at the same time," a royal insider has told the Mirror.

"They are working on opportunities for next year and beyond already. As soon as they are able it will be all hands on deck to make up for lost time. The Queen has often said they 'need to be seen to be believed'—this is coming from the very top."

Of course, the Queen's new arrangement means that many other key royal family members have been left out.

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle starting new careers across the pond in Los Angeles, the pair have naturally been overlooked for this choice.

The couple announced this week that they are set to host their own Spotify podcast as part of a new deal with the streaming service and have also teamed up with Netflix to produce a range of programmes.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice haven't been involved and 99-year-old Prince Philip won't be seen too much in future either, having retired from royal life in 2017.