This Hardest Working Royal of 2023 'Just Gets On With It' and Slightly Edged Out King Charles in Total Number of Engagements
King Charles III loses out on title of hardest working royal of 2023 by someone who likes to 'just get on with it.'
King Charles III is about to complete his first full calendar year as the reigning monarch, but to the surprise of some, he was not 2023's "hardest working royal." That title belongs to the same person who has held it for several years running, and she consistently holds to her motto: "Just get on with it."
Anne, Princess Royal, completed 457 royal engagements this year, according to the Court Circular that officially lists and announces all royal appearances and duties for senior royals. Although this was his coronation year, the King wasn't too far behind his sister, with 425 total engagements in 2023.
"She just gets on with it, often carrying out multiple engagements in one day. 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," former Press Secretary for Queen Elizabeth II, Dickie Arbiter, told an outlet.
Princess Anne and King Charles completed 214 and 181 engagements, respectively, in 2022, which was likely interrupted by the drastic changes that occurred when Elizabeth II died on September 8.
Prince Edward came in third this year with 297 royal duties delivered, followed by Queen Camilla in fourth place with 233 and Edward's wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who completed 219 royal engagements. Prince William and the Duke of Gloucester both tied with 172 visits, while Kate, Princess of Wales, ended the year with only 128 royal duties listed in the circular.
The Princess of Wales seems to consistently rank in the lower tier of royal workloads each year, with many royal analysts claiming her duties as a mother-of-three tend to get in the way of what she can take on.
The monarchy has also reportedly failed to fully reassign some 500 or so charities and patronages that Elizabeth II held upon her death 15 months ago.
"Every member of the royal family receives hundreds of requests each year from organizations asking for their support. Royal patronages add status to an organization, and visits and involvement from a royal patron can often bring much-needed publicity. For this reason, members of the royal family tend to limit their patronages to a manageable number to ensure that they can give each organization a significant amount of their time," the monarchy's official website states.
"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," the Charities and Patronages page continued.
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People reported on the royal engagement tallies of 2023.
