Duchess Sophie set to steal ‘hardest working royal’ crown from Princess Anne

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.