Over in England, there has been a lot of talk about the recent engagement of Prince William. One almost side note in all the news was the announcement that William and his wife-to-be Kate do not plan on having any servants. On the surface this doesn’t sound very exciting, but keep in mind the Prince will be the future King of England. A direct decedent of the throne not using servants is a big deal.

Once William gets used to the servant-less life, he may find it difficult to go back. Of course, living in Buckingham Palace he would have no choice - it would be impossible to maintain that residence should he choose to live there. But will he?

Seeing this break in tradition regarding servants makes me wonder if other changes aren’t in store for the royal family once William “takes over”. Right now it costs England about 38 million pounds ($ 59 million) a year to maintain the royal family. The family has taken heat over these costs lately, particularly by England’s student population, which has their seen tuition costs triple over the last year. Perhaps William will not choose to live in the family residence, but sell it off or turn it into a museum. The Royal Family may get a lot leaner and less extravagant. For a lot of Brits, I’m sure it’s about time.