In a remarkable demonstration of duty, King Charles III has been crowned the hardest-working member of the British royal family for the year 2025. The monarch, who has been undergoing weekly cancer treatment, surpassed his sister, Princess Anne, who had held the top spot for several consecutive years.
A Record of Royal Duty
The King undertook an impressive 533 official engagements throughout the year. This figure represents his highest annual tally since 2019, when he completed 541. His busy schedule included three significant state visits to Italy, Canada, and Poland, showcasing the monarchy's diplomatic role on the global stage.
Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was a close second, performing 478 engagements. Interestingly, she recorded more working days than the King, with a total of 186 days on duty. Analyst Patricia Treble, commenting on the King's efforts, described him as "indefatigable," suggesting the House of Windsor was energetically "making up for lost time."
The Royal Family's Collective Surge
Productivity soared across the entire royal family in 2025. According to an analysis of the Court Circular, the ten working royals collectively completed 2,459 engagements. This marked a substantial 23 per cent increase from the previous year, 2024, a period overshadowed by cancer diagnoses for both the King and the Princess of Wales.
The rankings behind the top two were as follows:
- Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh: 313 engagements
- Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh: 235 engagements
- Queen Camilla: 228 engagements
- The Duke of Gloucester (Prince Richard, aged 81): 212 engagements
- William, Prince of Wales: 202 engagements (an increase of 139 from 2024)
Further down the list, the Duchess of Gloucester completed 113 engagements. The Duke of Kent, aged 90, managed 77 engagements in a year that also saw the passing of his wife, the Duchess of Kent, in September at age 92.
Personal Challenges and Public Service
The Princess of Wales, who was in remission from cancer during the year, conducted 68 engagements in 2025. Her workload represented a staggering 423 per cent increase from 2024, when she was forced to step back for chemotherapy. She has spoken candidly about the difficulty of recovery, noting on a visit to a hospital in Colchester, Essex, that the period after treatment can be "really, really difficult."
"You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment," she shared. "Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal’, but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult."
The data reveals a royal family that significantly stepped up its workload. Princess Anne increased her engagements by 10.39 per cent, while the overall surge highlights a collective commitment to public service following a challenging period for the institution.
