Princess Anne may have been dethroned as the hardest-working British royal, but that hasn't stopped her from having a very busy week.
On Wednesday, the Princess Royal, 75, attended a candle lighting ceremony at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, where she joined faith leaders to emphasise the importance of peace and shared humanity. The ceremony was intended to highlight the values of reconciliation, mutual responsibility, and social harmony, according to the Church of Scotland's website.
It was a day packed full of engagements, as Anne also held an investiture ceremony on behalf of her brother, King Charles, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and named a boat, the NLV Pole Star, at Leith Cruise Terminal. The next day, the Princess planted a tree on a visit to the Scottish capital's Earl Haig Gardens to mark her first visit there as patron.
Anne is well known for her hard-working nature and has even become regarded as the King's right-hand woman in recent years, as he's opted for a slimmed-down monarchy with fewer members of the royal family playing an active role. But in December, Charles's only sister found herself unexpectedly knocked off the top spot for hardest-working royal of the year.
Who are the hardest-working British royals?
In 2025, King Charles himself was the hardest-working royal of the year, clocking up a total of 532 engagements over 12 months. This was 50 more than his sister, Princess Anne. Anne took second place with 478 engagements, while the Duke of Edinburgh, 61, was third with 313, and his wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, was in fourth with 235.
2025 was a very exciting year for the royal family, featuring multiple tours abroad - with Anne visiting South Africa and Ukraine, and Prince Edward and Sophie going to Japan. Meanwhile, Queen Camilla, 78, was the fifth hardest-working royal with 228 engagements, while the late Queen's cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, came sixth.
The Prince of Wales carried out 202 engagements, including attending Pope Francis' funeral in the Vatican in April and watching the Lionesses win the Women's Euro final in Switzerland with football-fan daughter, Princess Charlotte, ten. His final visit of the year was to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for his annual Earthshot Prize awards.
The Princess of Wales completed 69 engagements in 2025 after announcing she was in remission from cancer at the beginning of the year. She made a gradual return to public duties, playing a major role in the three state visits with guests from France, the US, and Germany.
The state visit was a sign that the Prince and Princess of Wales are taking on more responsibilities in preparation for one day becoming King and Queen. They greeted each of the guests on behalf of King Charles and Queen Camilla, showing their skills for mastering diplomacy and fostering connections with world leaders.
Princess Anne's kind gesture
Despite having an incredibly busy schedule, Princess Anne delighted a royal fan after making time for a kind gesture last week. King Charles' sister, 75, headed to Gloucester, near her home on the Gatcombe Park estate, where a former Debenhams store was officially opened as the University of Gloucestershire's new City Campus.
© GettyEdna Lee, who worked at Debenhams for 64 years, met the Princess Royal during the engagement. She handed Anne a bouquet before telling the BBC: "I did present the posy and after, you know, she was chatting for a short time, she said, 'You have the posy, they're lovely, but you have them.' And honestly, I couldn't believe it."
Edna continued: "I'm absolutely thrilled to bits. She was chatting as if, you know, she was speaking to a friend, almost. Somebody said to her, 'Oh, this is Edna, she's been here 64 years', and she said, 'Oh my goodness, you must've been a child when you started.' And I said, 'I was 15'. Very pleasant, very nice. She honestly just felt like a best friend."
