The royal family is known for their public friendly activities and busy working hours, even in the midst of health crises and feuds, but some Britons think differently.
Anti-monarchy groups have also criticized the narrative, accusing the royals of not ‘working’ while mocking the length of engagements.
The chief executive of campaign group Republic, Graham Smith, claims that people get the wrong judgment when they hear that a member of the royal family has attended an event.
“They don’t have jobs or responsibilities, they don’t have any decisions to make, there’s no accountability,” Smith said The National.
“I know how short they are [engagements] because I’ve stood outside protesting many of them, and they go in and out relatively quickly, and there’s very little substance to them. They don’t work. They are participating according to the head of the Anti-Monarch Group.
He tried to explain how they don’t always work, adding: “The other thing I notice is when they talk about engagements, there’s a public sense of duty, they’re doing something for the country, but some of the stuff in the Court Circular is private.”
He adds that their meetings with chairmen of their charities have nothing to do with anyone else.
“People imagine engagements as going to a community center and going in and out again and walking along the line and saying hello to people, but most of them aren’t like that.”
The Royal Family explained that engagements are important to “support and encourage the public and charity”.
According to reports, about 3,000 organizations list a member of the royal family as a patron or president. Some 2,458 official royal duties were recorded in 2025, with King Charles claiming the title as the hardest-working royal of the year.
The monarch carried out 532 official engagements during the year, although his cancer treatment is still ongoing.
The 77-year-old monarch surpassed her sister Princess Anne with 50 duties, with the Princess Royal completing 478 engagements despite working more individual days than her brother.
Meanwhile, Prince Edward secured third place in the rankings with 313 engagements, making him the only royal to reach 300.
Duchess Sophie followed in fourth place after completing 235 tasks. Queen Camilla, 78, was fifth with 228 engagements.
