Prince Charles—Not Princess Anne—Was the Most Hardworking Royal in 2019
Every year, royal watchers add up the total number of engagements each Windsor undertook. And nearly every year, Princess Anne comes out on top.
But in 2019, her elder brother—and the heir to the throne—Prince Charles narrowly cinched the number one spot. According to the numbers compiled by Tim O'Donovan, an 87-year-old retired insurance broker who's tallied the royals' engagements for decades, Charles was the most hardworking royal of the year.
The prince attended a whopping 521 public events this year, just 15 more than Princess Anne's 506. Together, their contributions made up a solid portion of the royal family's combined 3,567 engagements.
Charles and Anne are still the undisputed front-runners, though. Their younger brother Prince Edward completed 308 events, just above 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth's 295. Prince Andrew—prior to stepping back from his royal duties, amid outrage over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein—had 274.
As has been the case in the past, the younger generation of royals attended less engagements than the queen and her four children: Prince William had 220; Kate Middleton completed 116; Prince Harry attended 201; and Meghan Markle, who gave birth to baby Archie in May, went to 83.
The "Fab Four" are all currently raising young children of their own, so it's not all too surprising that they're maintaining a work-life balance. It's often observed that they're hoping to make each event as meaningful as possible; in other words, quality over quantity.
As O'Donovan himself noted in 2017, not all royal events are created equal. "All engagements differ as to time and content and there is also the time taken in preparation, whether it be a visit investiture or speech," he wrote.
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