The Hardest-Working Royal of 2022 Has Been Revealed — and It's Not King Charles!

The royal attended 214 engagements — the most of any member of the royal family this year

Princess Anne is keeping her crown as the hardest-working royal.

Queen Elizabeth's only daughter attended the most royal engagements of any member of the royal family in 2022, according to a tally by Reboot SEO Company using the Court Circular. Princess Anne, 72, embarked upon 214 engagements in total, topping the list.

King Charles snagged the second spot with 181 royal engagements over the past 12 months, many of which took place before Queen Elizabeth's death in September when he acceded the throne. Of course, he's also working hard behind the scenes in the early days of his reign.

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex took the third and fourth places on the list, respectively, with 143 and 138 royal engagements in 2022.

Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee then and now
Trooping the Colour. Chris Jackson/Getty

Prince William rounded out the top five with 126, including all the stops on his recent visit to Boston, culminating in the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony that he created.

Queen Camilla carried out 102 engagements and took the sixth spot, while Kate Middleton embarked on 90 royal engagements, placing her ninth.

In this handout image issued by Buckingham Palace, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex host Team GB Tokyo Olympic medalists at Buckingham Palace on November 2, 2022 in London , England.
The Duke of Gloucester, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Prince Edward. Chris Jackson/Getty

The top 10 list was rounded out by the Duke of Gloucester (100 engagements), the Duchess of Gloucester (94 engagements) and the Duke of Kent (78 engagements).

This is hardly the first time that Princess Anne has held the title of hardest-working royal. Although then-Prince Charles topped the list in 2019 and 2020, his sister is regularly the most industrious.

Princess Anne also took on a number of personal duties in 2022, including accompanying her mother's coffin from Scotland, where the monarch died at Balmoral Castle on Sept. 8, back to the U.K.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 13: (L-R) Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall on November 13, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Isabel Infantes - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
King Charles with Prince Edward, Prince William and Princess Anne. Isabel Infantes - WPA Pool/Getty

"I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother's life," Princess Anne said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace in the days after Queen Elizabeth's death. "It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys."

Princess Anne was the only female member of the royal family to take part in the funeral processions for Queen Elizabeth. She also made history as the first female participant in the Vigil of the Princes, when all of the late monarch's four children stood a symbolic watch at their mother's coffin at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward later performed the ritual again when the Queen was lying in state at Westminster Hall.

Princess Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Earlier this month, Princess Anne and Prince Edward were named Counsellors of State, meaning they can carry out constitutional duties for their brother King Charles if he is abroad or unwell.

The Counsellor of State position typically belongs to the monarch's spouse, followed by the first four people in the line of succession over the age of 21. Currently, those are Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice, Andrew's eldest daughter. Because Prince Harry and Prince Andrew are no longer working royals, Parliament felt it was best to expand the cohort to include two more people who could be called upon to stand in for Charles.

Princess Anne
Princess Anne. Karwai Tang/WireImage

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The role is a return for Princess Anne and Prince Edward. The siblings were previously Counsellors of State to Queen Elizabeth before they were overtaken in the line of succession to the throne. Prince Edward is currently 13th while Princess Anne is 16th, having moved down in the order as King Charles and Prince Andrew had children and grandchildren.

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