Duke of Gloucester leaves key royal behind in earning special rank

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, 81, has been given a special accolade for his contributions to the monarchy and King Charles, seemingly leaving Prince William behind.

The 81-year-old royal, who is the first cousin of late Queen Elizabeth II, was ranked on the sixth spot just after Queen Camilla in an important list revealed last month. He had carried out 212 official engagements throughout 2025, surpassing Prince William's tally of 202.

In a surprising turn of events, King Charles had dethroned his sister, often dubbed as the hardest working royal, in 2025 by carrying out 532 engagements. Meanwhile, Anne had been in second place with 478 engagements. 

Despite the fact that the monarch had been undergoing weekly cancer treatments in the past year, he still managed to get the top spot as the hardest working royal. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh followed closely behind in the third and fourth spot respectively.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have understandably kept low public appearances since they have small children and Kate had just been recovering from her own cancer battle.

During this time, the lesser known senior working royals have been performing their duties quietly but vigilantly. It is understood that they have earned praise and appreciation from the King himself for the loyalty they have shown, especially during his health battle.