Hardest working member of British royal family revealed – and it's not who you think

Although she is one of the senior members of the British royal family we don't often see much about her in the media, but that doesn't mean Princess Anne has shied away from her duties.

The Princess Royal, 67, has carried out more domestic engagements this year than the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry combined.

Low-key Anne, who is rarely covered by the wider press when conducting her engagements, was confirmed as the busiest member of the royal family due to clocking up 455 appearances, according to The Times.

These include charity events, dinners, receptions and other engagements around the country this year – not to mention another 85 events overseas.

The royal who undertook the fewest UK duties this year was the pregnant Kate Middleton, 35, for the third year running.

She undertook 63 official engagements at home and 42 abroad. Her husband, Prince William, attended 117 events at home and 54 abroad.

Prince Harry, who is set to marry Suits actress Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018, made 139 domestic appearances and 70 overseas this year.

Anne is well known for her charity work and is patron of over 200 organisations. The second child of Queen Elizabeth II is also highly regarded for her equestrian talents, having won two silver medals in 1975 and one gold medal in 1971 at the European Eventing Championships.

The latest figures are based on an analysis of the court circular by 85-year-old Tim O'Donovan, a retired insurance broker from Berkshire who has compiled an annual account of royal engagements for The Times for 37 years.

On Anne being the hardest working royal, he told the publication: "She is always rushing around the country. I'm just amazed when I look through the court circular at what she does in a day. The amount she crams in is extraordinary. She can be up in Scotland then down to a dinner in London that evening."

It shouldn't be seen as a competition, however, with O'Donovan adding that it is not meant to be a ''league table of individual royal performance.''

He said: "The young ones are beginning to do a bit more. Every engagement is different, in terms of time spent and the preparation needed, whether it be a visit, investiture or speech. It goes to show the amount of work they do."