Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie are consistently ranked amongst the top five hardest-working royals every year, taking into account the number of engagements they carry out annually.
And 2025 was no different; Prince Edward sits in third place with 313 outings (per the Court Circular) while his wife Sophie follows behind in fourth place with 235 engagements. Over the course of the past 12 months, the couple have each racked up an impressive nine solo visits to countries, plus jointly undertaken visits to Nepal and Japan.
© Getty ImagesPrince Edward has travelled to the US, India, Nigeria and Ghana and more, while Sophie's charity work took her to places including Guatemala, Peru, and Bosnia and Herzegovia. While their work may have kept them apart more than ever in 2025, their commitment to causes close to their respective hearts is clear, as is their unwavering loyalty to the Crown.
Sophie and Edward – who are parents to Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, 18 – were forced to be away from their Bagshot Park home for long periods of time, often risking their safety for their travels, such as Sophie’s high-security trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo to witness the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict, a visit that was only made public following her return.
A hardworking couple
Ainhoa Barcelona, HELLO!'s Royalty Managing Editor, explained that the Edinburghs once again proved their loyalty to King Charles by continuing to serve him as "fervently" as ever in 2025.
She revealed: "While many members of the royal family carry out solo engagements, Edward and Sophie seem to have literally gone the extra mile this year and flown to far-flung areas of the world for their independent causes.
© PA"The Duchess is known for championing gritty causes like conflict-related sexual violence and gender-based violence. This year, to name a few of her trips, she visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and undertook a ten-day tour of Peru, Panama, Guatemala, and Belize. She also travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre, becoming the first royal to visit in a decade.
"Edward's solo work, meanwhile, centred on the Commonwealth and youth empowerment and through this he visited Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, and Canada, among other countries."
So what can we expect from the Edinburghs in 2026? More of the same, according to our in-house royal expert.
© PA Images via Getty Images"There's no doubt the Edinburghs will continue to serve the King and the royal family just as fervently in 2026, as they have done for decades. Sophie was quite right when she famously replied, 'What did people think we were doing beforehand?' in response to the question that she and Edward would be taking on a larger role after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down," Ainhoa concluded.
The Edinburghs at Christmas
Christmas was a time to unwind and relax for the couple, travelling to Sandringham with their children and close relatives. The family joined King Charles for the annual festivities, which included the traditional walkabout after attending the service at St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day.
Also in attendance were the Prince and Princess of Wales alongside their three children, and sisters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who took a defiant stand by joining key members of the royal family despite their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being stripped of his titles earlier this year and their mother Sarah Ferguson's Epstein email scandal.
© Alamy Live News.The event also included a rare sighting of the Edinburghs’ son James, who towered over his mother and older sister. With his 18th birthday on 17 December, student James quietly passed a milestone, including the decision over using his HRH style.
Sophie previously said of her children in an interview with The Sunday Times in 2020: "We try to bring them up with the understanding they will very likely have to work for a living. Hence we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it's highly unlikely."
