King Charles Dethrones Princess Anne as Hardest-Working Royal
By Staff Reporter January 4, 2026 • 10:45 AM
In a surprising shift in the royal hierarchy of labor, King Charles III has been officially crowned the hardest-working member of the British Royal Family for 2025. The monarch has successfully unseated his sister, Princess Anne, who has held the title for several consecutive years.
According to the annual figures compiled by Canadian journalist Patricia Treble for the Write Royalty newsletter, the King completed a staggering 535 official engagements in 2025. This achievement is particularly notable as the King continued to manage his duties while undergoing treatment for cancer, which was diagnosed in early 2024.
The Princess Royal Steps to Second Princess Anne, 75, who topped the charts in 2023 and 2024, slipped to second place despite actually increasing her own workload. She carried out 478 official acts in 2025—up from 433 the previous year—showing that while the King took the top spot, the Princess Royal remains as industrious as ever.
A Family Stepping Up The figures, tallied from the official Court Circular, show a royal family in high gear:
- Prince Edward ranked third with 313 engagements.
- Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh followed with 235.
- Queen Camilla rounded out the top five with 228.
Notably, Prince William recorded 202 acts, while Catherine, Princess of Wales, completed 69 engagements. For Catherine, the 2025 figure marks a significant and heartening return to public life following her announcement last January that she was in remission. She has previously noted that her return to work would be at a “deliberate pace” to ensure she finds the right balance for her health and family.
Royal observers suggest that the King’s surge in activity is a positive signal regarding his ongoing recovery and his commitment to a “slimmed-down” but highly active monarchy.
