Members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour in June.Photo:Neil Mockford/Getty
Neil Mockford/Getty
It’s time for a drumroll for this year’s hardest-working member of the British royal family!
Princess Anneattended the most royal engagements of any member of the royal family in 2023,The Telegraphreported. According to the newspaper’s tally using theCourt Circular, the royal family’s official record of previous engagements, the Princess Royal, 73, conducted 457 engagements — meaning that shekeeps the crownof most industrious for the third year running.
“She just gets on with it, often carrying out multiple engagements in one day,”Queen Elizabeth’s former press spokesman Dickie Arbiter told the paper of Princess Anne’s tireless dedication.
“Of course, much of what the King does is behind the scenes, in meetings and going through his red boxes, which doesn’t warrant a mention in the Court Circular,” he added aboutKing Charles.
Princess Anne, Princess Royal visits the National Crisis Management Centre in New Zealand in February.Robert Kitchin/Pool/Getty
Robert Kitchin/Pool/Getty
The Telegraphsaid King Charles was second on the list with 425 royal engagements, snagging the same spot behind his sister that he did in 2022. Last year, theReboot SEO Companycalculatedthat Princess Anne undertook 214 engagements while King Charles made 181 stops — meaning that both embraced an even heavier royal workload during King Charles' coronation year.
According toThe Telegraph,Princess Anne packed in between 12 and 14 engagements during a typical week in 2023. In contrast, the Prince and Princess of Wales would traditionally only step out once or twice on average weekly, as they juggled royal duty with raising their kids:Prince George, 10,Princess Charlotte, 8, andPrince Louis, 5.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, also navigate their public work with a slightly different approach than previous generations. The couple focuses on fewer patronages and highlights targeted campaigns through their Royal Foundation, like William’sHomewardsinitiative and Kate’sShaping Uscampaign, both launched this year.
Prince William’s late grandmother Queen Elizabeth was associated with a whopping600 causes and organizationsduring her record reign. The steadfast sovereign retired from 25 patronages timed to her 90th birthday in 2016 likePrince Philipdid before her. However, over a year after her death in September 2022, the royal family has yet to announce plans for the official redistribution of many of Queen Elizabeth’s former causes.
Members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
As explained on the monarchy’s Royal.UK website, which has yet to be updated in full following the Queen’s death, the royal family is asked to be affiliated with more organizations than is practicable.
“Every member of the Royal Family receives hundreds of requests each year from organisations asking for their support. Royal patronages add status to an organisation, and visits and involvement from a Royal Patron can often bring much needed publicity,” the Charities and Patronages pagestates.
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“For this reason, members of the Royal Family tend to limit their patronages to a manageable number to ensure that they can give each organisation a significant amount of their time. The exceptions to this are The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh who hold over a thousand Patronages between them, many of which were inherited from previous Monarchs.”
In hisfirst speechas sovereign in September 2022, King Charles acknowledged that his royal relationship with charities and other organizations would change amid his accession.
King Charles during his proclamation as King during the accession council on September 10, 2022.Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty
Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty
“My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities,” he said. “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”
There also might be more work to go around asPrince Andrew,Prince HarryandMeghan Markleare no longer working royals.
In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal roles and relocated to Meghan’s home state of California, where they reside with their childrenPrince Archie, 4, andPrincess Lilibet, 2.
source: people.com
