New figures from the Press Association show a huge disparity in the amount of work undertaken by members of The Royal Family – most notably a workload divide between the older and younger generation of royals.
Compiling together information from The Royal Family’s Court Circular, PA reports that the busiest member of ‘the firm’ so far in 2017 is The Princess Royal who has worked the equivalent of 114 days.
In contrast, at the bottom of the list is The Duchess of Cambridge who has worked only a third of what Princess Anne has with an estimated 39 days work.
The Duke of Cambridge, who retired as an air ambulance pilot last month, has so far worked the equivalent of 46 days this year – the same as his brother Prince Harry.
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Commentary by Charlie Proctor
I would definitely take these latest figures with a pinch of salt.
We need to remember that The Royal Family do not work in ‘days’ but rather in engagements.
These engagements vary in length and location, so it is impossible to judge how hard somebody is working.
That being said, there is clearly a huge disparity between the older royals and the younger royals.
Prince William has his reasons. He was an air ambulance pilot.
However, now he has quit, I expect (and hope) to see him topping the tables next year.
As for the Duchess of Cambridge, I do question why her figures are so drastically low.
She has children, and many parents do not work due to childcare arrangments which is, of course, fair enough.
But, most parents don’t have the luxury of a full time live-in nanny!
I say The Duchess either has to ditch the nanny and look after her own children, or put on a smile and put up with unveiling plaques and collecting flowers all day.
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Despite a significant decrease in her workload, the 91-year-old Queen has worked for 50 days this year, upstaging her grandchildren who are 60 years her junior.
Also, before his retirement, the 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh worked for 56 days in 2017 meaning he was 20% more productive than the Cambridges. However, Prince Philip is not expected to undertake many more engagements in the latter part of this year meaning the younger royals should eventually pass him.
Other busy members of The Royal Family this year have been the Prince of Wales who has worked 93 days of the year, and the Duke of York who has worked 73 days.
Kensington Palace has said that Prince William’s commitment to The Royal Family has been reduced due to his time working as an air ambulance pilot. Now he has left his position; he is expected to become a full-time member of The Royal Family.
As for the Duchess of Cambridge, officials stress that she has prioritised time with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, but add she is increasing her workload in support of The Queen.
Ahead of these latest figures being published, Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry would be performing an Autumn of engagements.
The young royals will also be undertaking two overseas tours, however, the locations of which have not yet been announced.
The full stats and figures for how many engagements members of The Royal Family have undertaken will be released at the end of 2017, and Royal Central will contrast and compare it with the 2016 figures.
