In a remarkable demonstration of duty and resilience, King Charles III has been crowned the hardest-working member of the royal family for the year 2025. This achievement is particularly notable as the monarch managed to surpass his sister, the consistently top-performing Princess Anne, all while undergoing weekly treatment for cancer.
A Record-Breaking Year for the Monarch
The King finally ended Princess Anne's five-year streak as the most industrious royal, a title she had held consecutively from 2020 to 2024. Official analysis of the Court Circular reveals that King Charles undertook an impressive 533 engagements in 2025. This was his highest annual tally since 2019, when he completed 541 duties as the Prince of Wales.
His packed schedule included three significant state visits to Italy, Canada, and Poland, alongside a full roster of domestic duties. Royal analyst Patricia Treble described the King as "indefatigable," noting to the Telegraph that "it felt like the House of Windsor was making up for lost time."
The Royal Family's Collective Surge in Productivity
The year 2025 saw a significant uplift in activity across the entire royal family. The ten working royals collectively completed 2,459 engagements, representing a substantial 23 per cent increase compared to the previous year. 2024 had been impacted by the cancer diagnoses of both the King and the Princess of Wales.
Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was a close second to her brother, undertaking 478 engagements across 186 working days. The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, followed with 313 engagements, while the Duchess of Edinburgh completed 235.
Other notable figures included:
- Queen Camilla with 228 engagements.
- The Duke of Gloucester, 81-year-old Prince Richard, with 212 engagements, outperforming the Prince of Wales.
- The Prince of Wales, William, with 202 engagements—a significant increase of 139 from 2024.
- The Duchess of Gloucester (113 engagements) and the Duke of Kent (77 engagements), the latter continuing his duties despite the passing of his wife in September 2025.
The Princess of Wales's Courageous Return
The Princess of Wales, Catherine, who was in remission from cancer throughout the year, conducted 68 engagements in 2025. This marked a staggering 423 per cent increase on her previous year's schedule, reflecting her gradual return to public life after stepping back for chemotherapy in 2024.
During a visit to Colchester Hospital in Essex, she candidly shared the challenges of recovery, stating, "You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal’, but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult." She added that the post-treatment period left her not under clinical care but still unable to function as she once did at home.
The figures for 2025 paint a picture of a reinvigorated monarchy, with every member stepping up their workload. Princess Anne increased her engagements by 10.39 per cent, while the King's dedication, despite his health challenges, set a powerful example of service, securing him the top spot in the royal family's annual engagement rankings.
