King Charles has claimed the title of hardest-working royal for 2025, undertaking 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 2,458 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.
King Charles beats Princess Anne as hardest-working royal after ‘setting the pace’
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He announced last week 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.
Princess Anne has topped the list in previous years
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GETTYPrince William, heir to the throne, placed seventh with 202 engagements. The Duchess of Gloucester completed 113 duties, securing eighth position, whilst the 90-year-old Duke of Kent rounded out the top 10 with 77 engagements.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh led overseas work, with Edward undertaking 130 duties across 13 countries and Sophie completing 107 in the same number of nations.
The Royal Family’s collective output rose by 22 per cent compared to the previous year, climbing from 2,001 engagements in 2024 to 2,458 in 2025.
The Princess of Wales demonstrated the most striking recovery in her public duties.
King Cancer announced he was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024 | GETTY
Kate, 43, increased her engagements from just 13 in 2024 to 68 this year, representing a 423 per cent rise as she gradually resumed work following her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
All four senior royals saw substantial increases in their workloads. The King’s duties jumped 49 per cent year-on-year, whilst Prince William’s rose by 45 per cent and Queen Camilla’s by 33 per cent.
The 2,446 engagements recorded represent the highest total since 2022, when 12 working royals, including the late Queen, completed 2,667 duties.
Royal expert Patricia Treble, who compiled the analysis from the Court Circular, emphasised the significance of the King’s achievement given his health circumstances.
“Considering he spent the entire year undergoing regular cancer treatment, the King set the pace when it comes to royal duty for the House of Windsor,” she told the Mirror.
Ms Treble noted that the three royal siblings dominate the annual workload. “Charles, Anne, and Edward – dominate the royal work year. They are the only royals to have done more than 300 engagements each,” she observed.
The expert highlighted that the core 10 working royals have an average age of 68.7 years, meaning the institution relies heavily on individuals who are typically 15 years beyond standard retirement age.