Why King Charles really is the ‘hardest-working’ royal — by the numbers
Who’s really earning their Privy Purse coinage?
King Charles, 74, has been dubbed the monarchy’s hardest-working royal in the last decade, according to figures compiled by the Daily Mail.
The newly crowned sovereign has had his hands full with some 5,000 royal engagements in the last 10 years, they counted.
His tally rivals his sister’s, Anne, princess royal, who, between 2013 and 2022, carried out about 4,693 events. Their younger brothers, Princes Edward and Andrew, came next with 3,155 and 2,289 prior commitments, respectively.
As for the late Queen Elizabeth, she undertook just 2,721 appearances before her death in September 2022.
Queen Camilla appeared in 2,084 events while Edward’s wife, Sophie, showed her face at 2,253 bashes.
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton were also on the list, with the Prince of Wales, 40, emerging out of his Adelaide Cottage home for 1,704 parties. The Duchess of Cambridge, 41, followed close behind with 1,024 event appearances.
Before Prince Philip passed away in 2021, he had his last official engagement in August 2017. However, between 2013 and his retirement, he was present for about 1,057 royal gigs.
Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry also ventured out on several visits before they made the move to North America in 2020. The former actress, 41, and the Duke of Sussex, 38, tied the knot in 2018, with Markle taking on 179 events in her brief time with the royal family. Before Harry packed his bags for Montecito, Calif. with Markle, he turned up at 1,009 royal engagements.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams gave his take on the numbers and told the DailyMail, “The engagements carried out by members of the royal family are, far too often, taken for granted.”
“These figures show how hard working — for a decade until 2022 — both King Charles and Princess Anne have been in the numbers of engagements they have carried out,” he continued. “It also shows Edward and Sophie — the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh — as extremely hard-working.”
He noted that while William and Middleton have done far fewer events than other members, they “have done a great deal for the causes they are attached to and gives their profiles a huge boost as the world’s most glamorous royal couple.”
Fitzwilliams warned that the Firm’s “future clearly rests” with the Cambridges’ kids, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.