The latest Royal Diary reveals that Princess Anne is now carrying out 70% of the monarchy’s work. This spike comes after King Charles and Kate Middleton have stepped back from their royal duties, as both are dealing with health issues and intense media scrutiny towards Kate for posting an ‘edited’ family photo on Mother’s Day. The recent diary update shows that Prince William has already shifted 20% of his royal responsibilities to 30% compared to last summer.
The Royal Family’s official diary from March 18 to May 10 lists 55 public engagements for Princess Anne. She has a gruelling schedule, with five events in one day. Her weekend national tours mean she also recently went to Scotland. The huge workload raises concerns about her mental health, renewing discussions on whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should return as working royals. In total, the eight-week period lists 78 public royal engagements. Prince Edward and Sophie will jointly attend two. The breakdown is: Princess Anne – 55, Sophie – 13, Prince Edward – 4, Duke of Gloucester – 4, Duchess of Gloucester – 3, and the Queen – 1.
Sophie, as the Duchess of Edinburgh, comes second in royal duties. But her schedule intensity is similar to Princess Anne’s. The future Queen sometimes accompanies the Queen on overseas trips, as seen in her 13 engagements between March and April. Despite her place in the hierarchy, Sophie continues performing ceremonial duties as the monarchy’s top public representative.
In the next two months, only 6 of the 14 royals on official duty will make appearances. King Charles, Prince William and Kate never appear on the calendar. Although the King cannot attend the Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral on March 28, the Queen will represent him. The Royal Family is observing an Easter break from Good Friday i.e. from March 29 to April 5, with no engagements. Kate is also set to return to duties after Easter.
