An anti-monarchy group has accused the Royal Family of not “working”, criticising the length of engagements.
Campaign organisation Republic believes that the royals’ “jam-packed” schedules and the idea that the royals “work hard” is a myth.
Graham Smith, CEO of the group, feels people get the wrong verdict when they hear a member of the Royal Family has attended an event.
“They don’t have jobs or responsibility, they don’t have decisions to make, there’s no accountability,” Mr Smith told The National.
The group has accused the royals of not ‘working’ | PA
He continued: “I know how short they are [engagements] because I’ve stood outside protesting at a lot of them, and they go in and come out again relatively quickly, and there’s very little substance to them. They don’t work. They attend.
“The other thing I notice is when they talk about engagements, there is a sense of public duty that they are doing something for the country, but quite a few of the things in the Court Circular are private – so they list meetings with chairs of their charities, for example, which is nothing to do with anyone else.
“People imagine engagements as going to a community centre and going in and coming out again and going along the line and saying hello to people, but most of them are not like that.”
Graham Smith said royal engagements have ‘very little substance’ to them
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X / GRAHAMSMITH_
The Royal Family explained that engagements are important for “supporting and encouraging the public and charity”.
They allow individuals in the Royal Family to act as state representatives, boost public morale and raise awareness for causes.
About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president.
Some 2,458 official royal duties were recorded in 2025, with King Charles claiming the title as the hardest-working royal for the year.
The King topped the list for official royal engagements in 2025
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GETTYHis Majesty undertook 532 official engagements throughout the year whilst continuing his weekly cancer treatment.
The 77-year-old monarch outpaced his sister Princess Anne by 50 duties, with the Princess Royal completing 478 engagements despite working more individual days than her brother.
The King’s tally represents nearly a quarter of all official royal duties recorded this year. His schedule included visits across Britain alongside overseas trips to Italy, Canada and Poland.
Charles increased his workload at the beginning of 2025 following encouraging developments in his cancer care.
Princess Anne has topped the list in previous years | GETTY
He announced last month that his treatment will be scaled back in the New Year, attributing this progress to early detection, effective care and adherence to medical advice.
Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, secured third position in the rankings with 313 engagements, making him the only royal to reach the 300s bracket.
His wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, followed in fourth place, having completed 235 duties.
Queen Camilla, 78, ranked fifth with 228 engagements over the 12 months. The Duke of Gloucester came sixth, carrying out 212 duties throughout the year.