'Hardest-working royal' of 2025 revealed as King Charles 'beats' Princess Anne
After holding the title for four years running, Princess Anne was overtaken by her older brother
King Charles has officially earned the title of hardest-working royal of 2025, reportedly completing an impressive 532 official engagements, despite undergoing cancer treatment.
The 77-year-old monarch pulled ahead of his famously hardworking sister, Princess Anne, by 50 duties.
While the Princess Royal worked more days overall, she apparently carried out 478 engagements compared to her brother’s 532.
Charles’ packed schedule included domestic visits across the UK and international trips to Italy, Canada, and Poland.
King Charles beats Princess Anne for title of ‘hardest-working royal’
The king increased his workload in early 2025 after receiving encouraging news about his cancer treatment.
In a recent cancer update, he shared that his treatment will be scaled back in the New Year, crediting his progress to “early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors’ orders”.
His determination didn’t go unnoticed. Royal reporter Patricia Treble, who compiled the engagement statistics from the Court Circular, highlighted the significance of his achievement.
“Considering he spent the entire year undergoing regular cancer treatment, the king set the pace when it comes to royal duty for the House of Windsor,” Treble told The Mirror.
She added: “There’s a common belief that Anne is the hardest-working royal. I beg to differ. Though the Princess Royal did the most days of work (186) in 2025, it was her big brother who did the largest number of engagements.”
This year represents a notable shift, as Princess Anne has long dominated the rankings for the most royal engagements. For years, she has been referred to as the “hardest-working royal”.
When asked in January whether retirement might be on the cards, Anne told the BBC it “isn’t really an option”.
Royal engagement statistics
The annual tally places Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, in third with 313 engagements, making him the only other royal to break the 300 mark.
His wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, followed in fourth place with 235 engagements.
Queen Camilla took fifth place with 228 duties, while the Duke of Gloucester completed 212 to claim sixth.
Prince William, heir to the throne, ranked seventh with 202 engagements, followed by the Duchess of Gloucester (113) and the Duke of Kent (77) to round out the top 10.
The Princess of Wales, who continued her gradual return to public life following her cancer treatment last year, completed 68 engagements in 2025, up from just 13 the previous year. Her 423% increase marks one of the most significant rebounds among the royals.
When it came to international representation, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh led the charge.
Prince Edward carried out 130 engagements across 13 countries, while Sophie handled 107 duties in the same countries. Princess Anne was close behind with 102 engagements in 14 countries.
The only other royal to travel abroad for work was Prince William, who completed 36 engagements in five countries. Princess Kate has not yet resumed overseas engagements following her diagnosis.
Treble also emphasised the royal family’s overall workload.
The overall number of engagements rose by 22%, climbing from 2,001 in 2024 to 2,458 in 2025. This marks the highest collective output since 2022, when 12 royals (including the late queen) completed 2,667 engagements.
“This year, it felt at times like the royals were making up for lost time,” Treble noted.
Even amid his health issues, 2025 proved to be a record-setting year for the king.
Read more: King Charles’ Christmas speech ‘to be available in new format’ this year
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