Princess Anne Continues Streak as Hardest Working Member of the Royal Family, Even After Her Concussion and Hospitalization
For four years running, the Princess Royal has taken the lead when it comes to the number of royal engagements undertaken annually
Once again, it’s Princess Anne who has been crowned the hardest working member of the British royal family.
The Princess Royal, 74 — the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip — carried out 217 engagements so far in 2024, a new study revealed. Princess Anne has taken the top spot annually for four years now, according to The Daily Express. Even though this year saw her sustain a head injury over the summer after being kicked by a horse — forcing her to cancel numerous public engagements after she was hospitalized for her injury — she still finished first, and often stepped in on behalf of her older brother, King Charles, after his cancer diagnosis in February. Her engagement count rose 2.4% this year as compared to 2023, according to research from SEO agency Reboot Online. The agency analyzed the Court Circular to obtain the number of engagements undertaken by each royal throughout 2024.
Despite his cancer diagnosis, which was revealed following a January procedure to correct a benign enlarged prostate, King Charles still finished second in the rankings with 186 engagements so far this year, a 5.6% decrease from the year prior. October — when he and wife Queen Camilla traveled to Australia and Samoa to undertake a royal tour there — was Charles’ busiest month of the year, with 26 engagements undertaken that month alone.
For her part, November is Anne’s busiest month to date, with 28 engagements taking place.
In a royal surprise, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, came in third place with 126 royal engagements. This marks an 11.5% increase from 2023. In fourth place is Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, with 124 engagements; his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, ranked fifth with 108; and Queen Camilla took the sixth place spot with 95. Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester — who stood in for the Queen earlier this month after Camilla fell ill with a chest infection — came in seventh with 72, and Prince William came in eighth place with 71 royal engagements. 2024 marked a quieter year for the Prince of Wales, as part of the year was spent caring for his wife Kate Middleton, who was also diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. His engagement count dropped 35.5% this year.
Following Prince Edward, Duke of Kent’s 62 royal engagements, the Princess of Wales rounded out the list with 11 engagements as she prioritized her health throughout 2024. Reflecting this, her engagement count dropped 88% from 2023.
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The public is next expected to see Princess Kate on Dec. 6, when she hosts her annual “Together at Christmas” carol concert at Westminster Abbey as she continues her gradual return to royal duty following her Sept. 9 announcement that she had completed chemotherapy.