#i just thought I’d post the full article so everyone could read ☺️

[princessanneftw]

Princess Anne takes on more of the Queen's duties to make sure honours are awarded in person

The Princess Royal has notched up the most engagements for any single member of the Royal family so far this year

By Hannah Furness for The Telegraph

The Princess Royal has stepped into the breach to ensure those awarded honours during the pandemic are able to receive them in person, taking on more duties for the Queen than any other member of the Royal Family.

The Princess has adjusted her diary to take on 13 investitures since July, aiming to clear a backlog of recipients by welcoming them to Windsor Castle in person.

Said to enjoy meeting the worthy members of the public honoured with awards including knighthoods, damehoods, OBEs, CBEs and MBEs, the Princess is aiming to work her way through expedited ceremonies to ensure everyone who is able to attend the Windsor Castle ceremony can do so.

Before the pandemic hit, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge were undertaking more of the investiture ceremonies on behalf of the Queen, who has been doing them for decades.

Then, Princess Anne contributed two or three a year among her other duties, which see her ranked among the hardest-working members of the family annually.

Since the summer of 2021, she has taken on significantly more investitures on behalf of the Queen than other senior royals, with Prince Charles doing six and Prince William three so far this year amidst their other duties.

Recipients have already spoken of their joy at seeing the straight-talking Princess Royal at the castle ceremonies, as part of the 368 engagements she has done so far this year, despite the restrictions of Covid-19.

Lorraine Kelly, the broadcaster, said it was "extra special" to receive the award from Princess Anne, adding: "I've always admired her. She works incredibly hard."

Ian Cole, who received an OBE, praised the Princess as “most interested and knowledgeable” about his work in defence.

A palace source said that, like other members of the Royal Family, the Princess “enjoys investitures and meeting the recipients”.

With smaller numbers of people able to attend the ceremonies and a backlog of those due to be honoured thanks to Covid-19, they added, the family had been doing “some diary management” to ensure people can be recognised properly.

Busiest member of the Royal family

So far this year, the Princess has notched up the most engagements for any single member of the family, beating the next busiest, the Prince of Wales, who has taken part in at least 360, by just a handful of events.

The Queen who has endured the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, coronavirus isolation and a period of ill health, has still undertaken 186, with many on the telephone or by video call.

The Earl of Wessex has completed 208 and his wife the Countess 151, with the Duchess of Cornwall undertaking 161 including several overseas tours once travel restrictions were lifted.

The Duke of Cambridge has done 232, boosted by a series of back-to-back telephone calls during the pandemic lockdown at the beginning of the year.

The Duchess of Cambridge, who also did some home schooling of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in early 2021, completed 115. Around 30 of them were meetings for her "early years" project or with staff from the Royal Foundation.

The Princess Royal’s engagements are particularly diverse, from her responsibilities with the Blues and Royals, Save the Children and the International Olympic Committee to recognition for the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, The Chaffinch Trust and the Wooden Spoon Society.

On Friday, she represented the Queen at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as reviewing officer of The Sovereign’s Parade, inspecting the troops and presenting awards to officer cadets.

The conclusive tallies of Royal family work will be calculated at the end of the year.

The palaces regularly insist that the number of engagements is less important than the impact of the work, with the Cambridges choosing to focus more time on fewer causes than the Queen’s children, believing they can make a greater impact in key areas such as early years child development, mental health and the environment.