Princess Anne has retained her title as the hardest working royal having racked up 217 engagements for 2024, as her brother King Charles III took second place despite undergoing treatment for cancer over the last year.
The Princess Royal, 74, known to be the most industrious royal family member, took on 31 more official engagements this year than her elder brother, who carried out 186.
Together, the pair took on the most official duties than their royal counterparts, despite Anne briefly taking a break in June after she was kicked by a horse and suffered concussion, and the monarch undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Despite this, the King has managed to return to a packed schedule that in recent months has included travelling to France for D-Day commemorations, hosting the Emperor of Japan for his state visit and touring Australia and Samoa with the Queen.
The analysis comes as Buckingham Palace confirmed the King will continue undertaking duties, with his treatment ‘moving in a positive direction’ into 2025.
The research, which was conducted by Reboot SEO company, is based on entries published in the Court Circular, The Telegraph reports.
Anne has long been known as the hardest-working royal, although the King took the top spot in 2019 and 2020.
The Duke of Gloucester and Prince Edward came in joint third, completing 126 engagements, while Sophie Wessex came in fifth with 124 engagements.
The Princess Royal, pictured with husband Sir Tim Laurence, has retained her title as the hardest working royal having racked up 217 engagements for 2024
Princess Anne pictured with her elder brother King Charles III during the state visit of the Emir of Qatar earlier this month
The Princess Royal arrives by carriage on day three of Royal Ascot in June this year
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at Windsor Castle in June
King Charles III took second place despite undergoing treatment for cancer over the last year with 186 engagements
The monarch pictured at D-Day commemorations in Normandy, France in June
King Charles III and Queen Camilla pictured in Samoa during their tour in October
Meanwhile Queen Camilla undertook 95 engagements.
While usually among the top spots in the annual rankings, the Prince and Princess of Wales saw a large dip in engagements this year, following on from the Princess’ cancer diagnosis and subsequent preventative chemotherapy.
Prince William completed 71 engagements in 2024, while Kate Middleton undertook just 11, as the couple sought to focus on her recovery and spend time with their three children.
It comes after William described the past year which has seen his wife and father being treated for cancer as ‘brutal’.
The Prince spoke candidly about the royal family’s major health scares in an interview while in South Africa last month, saying 2024 has ‘probably been the hardest year in my life’ and a ‘dreadful’ experience.
When asked on November 7 about his year, William replied: ‘Honestly, it’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.
‘But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.’
Kate appeared in a deeply personal video with her family in September to confirm her return to public duties following the completion of a course of chemotherapy.
Camilla undertook 95 engagements this year. Pictured: The Queen at a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in East London on Friday
The Princess of Wales, pictured at the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, undertook 11 duties this year following her cancer diagnosis
The Prince of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte during the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey
William and Kate, pictured during the Emir of Qatar’s visit in December, have stepped back from duties this year following her cancer diagnosis
A heartfelt message about her cancer journey was spoken over images showing the Waleses and their children enjoying the outdoors, and she said her focus now was ‘doing what I can to stay cancer free’.
The latest figures were unveiled as the King and Queen held their last public event of the year at a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in East London.
Royal aides said this would ‘celebrate the strong sense of community cohesion in the borough, highlighted by peaceful counter-protests in August 2024 following disorder in other parts of the UK’.
Charles has increased his engagements recently, including a visit to Apple’s London HQ and a meeting with CEO Tim Cook.
‘You could almost forget at the start of the year this was a man that faced the shock of being diagnosed with cancer’, a source said to Sky News.
Some engagements might involve little more than turning up; others demand much preparation, not to mention a long journey.
And the Court Circular makes no mention of illness, pregnancy, red boxes or the paperwork and private meetings which fill every royal diary.
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