So far this month, the Duchess of Edinburgh has undertaken 38 engagements compared to 18 in September 2023 while Princess Anne has appeared considerably less.

The Duchess of Edinburgh has stepped up for the Royal Family during a time of illness (Image: Getty)

The Duchess of Edinburgh is on course to take the ‘hardest working royal’ crown from Princess Anne after more than doubling the number of engagements she has conducted this month compared to the same month last year.

So far this month, the Duchess of Edinburgh has undertaken 38 royal engagements compared to 18 in September 2023.

On the other hand, Princess Anne has conducted far less in the same period with 20 engagements listed on the Court Circular for September 2023 dropping to 13 so far this month.

Sources say that Sophie, 59, has become the Firm’s “secret weapon” as she steps up to support the Royal Family during a number of absences.
“Sophie has been working extremely hard over the last few months to bridge the absence gaps,” said a source. “She’s starting to become the hardest working royal, which is inevitable really because three of the top dogs have been out of action due to illness or injury.”
Both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have been out of action for most of the year which saw the Duchess of Edinburgh take on more responsibility.

Not only have Charles and Kate stepped back after undergoing treatment for undisclosed types of cancers, but Princess Anne was also out of action in June and July following an injury she sustained on her country estate from a suspected horse kick.

Despite suffering a serious head injury – which inevitably led to a drop in the number of royal engagements the Princess Royal could undertake – Anne has been slowly getting back in the saddle and increasing the number of appearances she has conducted since the accident.

The 74-year-old has often been credited as the hardest-working royal – with many royal fans praising her for her recent appearance in the Netherlands.

Last weekend, Anne, 74, represented King Charles during a poignant engagement to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem.
In the meantime, Sophie has been stepping up her royal engagements both at home and abroad.

Last week, the Duchess took part in a slew of engagements in Surrey, visiting Hale Community centre in Farnham, Mane Chance animal sanctuary and Parity for Disability, which supports people with multiple disabilities. Her 38th appearance this month took place when she opened the Domaine Evremond Winery on Thursday.

Last year, Sophie became the first royal to visit Baghdad in Iraq. She also recently visited Tanzania to continue her work to raise awareness of trachoma – a preventative disease that can cause blindness.

Last year, Prince Edward’s wife was listed as the fourth hardest-working member of the Royal Family – having carried out a total of 114 engagements in 2023.

The Duchess of Edinburgh opened the Domaine Evremond Winery this week (Image: Getty)
Prince Edward carried out 144 engagements last year, whereas the King undertook 197 visits. Anne engaged in 212 official engagements in 2023.

Sophie and Edward are set for a busy rest of the year as they prepare to travel to Malta next month for a series of engagements.

Before joining the Royal Family, Sophie worked her way up in PR. She had previously worked at Capital Radio, in 1996, before she launched her own public relations agency, RJH Public Relations.

She ran her agency, alongside her business partner Murray Harkin, for five years.