Prince Charles was reportedly the busiest member of the royal family in 2020, completing some 256 royal engagements during an otherwise challenging year due to the pandemic.
According to Daily Express, the Prince of Wales, 72, was the hardest working royal despite the Firm's scaled-down activities because of the COVID-19 health scare. Prince Charles even had to self-isolate in late March when he caught the virus at the start of the first nationwide lockdown in the United Kingdom.
His sister, Princess Anne, 70, had 224 royal engagements, making her the second busiest member of the working royal family. In the past, the Princess Royal used to lead in the number of works completed, but Prince Charles has been more in demand and engaged in the last few years as he prepares to ascend the throne.
In general, the royal family had to cut back on their engagements this year by as much as 56 percent. Queen Elizabeth spent most of her time in lockdown at Windsor Castle because she belongs to the age group most vulnerable to the virus.
The 94-year-old monarch had only 126 royal engagements this year, and only 56 of those were done in-person. In October, she joined her grandson, Prince William, for an actual visit at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratoryto meet with the experts who have been helping out in the U.K.'s COVID-19 strategy.
The following month, the Queen went on a solo engagement to honor and reflect on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark Remembrance Day. She wore a mask on this visit to Westminster Abbey.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton had 171 and 116 royal engagements, respectively. But, royal journalist Patricia Treble noted that the Cambridges had far less decreases in their work this year compared to the other senior royals. This affirmed the observation that the royal family relied on William and Kate's public presence during the lockdown.
The royal family had to resort to virtual conference calls from March until June to continue with their work. By the middle of the year, the royals carried out in-person engagements while observing strict safety protocols like wearing a face mask, foregoing handshakes, and observing social distancing.
William and Kate said that while virtual calls took some adjustments, they feel they were able to accomplish more because they could do away with the ceremonies and the nitty-gritty of in-person engagements. However, it's unclear if the royals will be back full time for public appearances in 2021 or if they will still continue with the virtual calls.
The U.K. was the first country to roll out its vaccination program against COVID-19, but even Prince Charles said he's further down the line of priorities.
