Who Are the Working Royals? From the King to Kate Middleton

The British monarchy contains within its extended royal family scores of minor relations, many of whom the public has never heard of, nor have they ever needed to. There is a distinction within palace circles between these wider family relations and what is known as the "working royals."

The working royals are senior members of the family who undertake a program of official duties and engagements on behalf of the crown throughout the year. Though they might perform official duties, only King Charles receives money from the government to run his official business.

The king, under a system enacted by Queen Elizabeth II, privately remunerates the working royals, except Prince William and Kate Middleton who receive an annual income from the Duchy of Cornwall.

On Monday, marketing analyzer Reboot SEO Company published their list of exactly how many engagements each of the working royals—11 in total—have undertaken in 2022, from the new King Charles III to Princess Kate.

To many, the names on this list may be unfamiliar. Here, Newsweek explores which members of the British royal family are considered "working royals" and how exactly they fit into the monarchy's sprawling family tree.

Princess Anne—214 engagements in 2022

Princess Anne (born 1950) is the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

The princess—who is also known by the title of Princess Royal which is bestowed on the eldest daughter of the monarch—is consistently one of the hardest working royals, often undertaking more engagements than any other family members as she has in 2022.

Anne married army captain Mark Phillips in 1973 and had two children: businessman Peter Phillips (born 1977) and Olympian Zara Tindall (born 1981). Together, Anne and Mark Phillips have five grandchildren.

The princess became the first of Queen Elizabeth's children to divorce before going on to marry her mother's former equerry, Timothy Laurence, in 1992. Laurence and Anne celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in December.

King Charles—181 engagements in 2022

King Charles III (born 1948) is the eldest child of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

The Queen gave her son the title of Prince of Wales when he was just 9 years old, making him—by the time of his mother's death in 2022—the longest-serving Prince of Wales in the 1000-year history of the British monarchy.

Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 when he was 32 years old and she was 20. Together they had two sons: Prince William (born 1982) and Prince Harry (born 1984), and have five grandchildren.

Charles and Diana formally separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Following the princess' tragic death in a 1997 Paris car crash, Charles re-married in 2005 to Camilla Parker Bowles.

When Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, Charles was instantly made the new monarch. He is Britain's 62nd monarch on record and is due to attend his coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex—143 engagements in 2022

Prince Edward (born 1964) is the youngest child of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Edward pursued a career in television production and the arts before marrying Sophie Rhys Jones in 1999, whereupon his mother granted him the title of Earl of Wessex.

Edward and Sophie have two children: Lady Louise Windsor (born 2003) and James, Viscount Severn (born 2007).

At the time of his marriage, it was announced that Edward would not receive a dukedom, which had been given to his older brother Prince Andrew when he married in 1986. Instead, he received the lesser earldom because it was desired by the queen and Prince Philip that he would one day take on the title of Duke of Edinburgh from his father.

Edward took over responsibility for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which provides young people with a framework to develop important life skills, from his father following his retirement in 2017.

When Queen Elizabeth II died, it was expected that King Charles would give his brother the Edinburgh dukedom, however, recent reports speculate that this may not be the case, with the king instead saving the title for one of Prince William's children.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex—138 engagements in 2022

Sophie, Countess of Wessex née Sophie Rhys Jones (born 1965) met Prince Edward when she was working in public relations in London.

When the couple married, Sophie became Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex and over time became close to her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.

Sophie and Edward live at Bagshot Park, a short distance from Windsor Castle, with their two children and she undertakes a full diary of royal engagements, particularly focused on women's organizations and working with the visually impaired.

Prince William, Prince of Wales—126 engagements in 2022

Prince William is the eldest son of King Charles III and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Educated at Eton College and later, the University of St Andrews in Scotland, William graduated in 2005 and entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst the following year.

After "passing out" (graduating) from Sandhurst, the prince served with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot before becoming a search and rescue pilot with the air ambulance service, in conjunction with undertaking royal duties.

The prince married Kate Middleton in 2011 after dating on and off since 2001. They have three children together: Prince George (born 2013); Princess Charlotte (born 2015); and Prince Louis (born 2018).

In 2017, the prince left the air ambulance service to become a full-time working royal and in 2022 was named Prince of Wales by his father in one of the monarch's first acts as king.

Queen Camilla—102 engagements in 2022

Queen Camilla née Camilla Shand (born 1947) met and dated then-Prince Charles during the 1970s.

The daughter of Army Major Bruce Shand and his wife Rosalind, Camilla is the descendant of Alice Keppel, the mistress of King Edward VII, through her mother.

Though Camilla and Charles ended their relationship before her marriage to Captain Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, the pair famously reunited in the 1980s following the breakdown of their respective unions.

Camilla and Parker Bowles have two children: Tom Parker Bowles (born 1974) and Lara Lopes (born 1978). Together, they share five grandchildren.

In 2005, Charles and Camilla married after a long road to the altar despite considerable public animosity regarding Camilla in particular as the source of much of the unhappiness expressed by the late Princess Diana.

Over the years of their marriage, public attitude slowly warmed to the royal who became Queen Consort when Charles acceded to the throne in September.

Camilla undertakes full-time royal duties, both in support of her husband and individually.

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester—100 engagements in 2022

Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester (born 1944) is a second cousin of King Charles III and undertakes royal duties on behalf of the crown.

His father, Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester, was Queen Elizabeth II's uncle and a son of King George V.

The duke trained to be an architect and never expected to become a working royal. His older brother, Prince William (who King Charles named his eldest son after) was due to inherit the Gloucester dukedom before he unexpectedly died in a 1972 flying accident.

Richard married Birgitte van Deurs in 1972 and the couple have three children: Alexander, Earl of Ulster (born 1974); Lady Davina Lewis (born 1977); and Lady Rose Gilman (born 1980)

The Gloucesters have undertaken public engagements on behalf of the monarch since the death of Prince Henry in 1974. They live at Kensington Palace in London.

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester—94 engagements in 2022

Duchess Birgitte of Gloucester née van Deurs (born 1946) is the Danish-born wife of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

The duchess undertakes a number of public engagements each year including attending the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament as the honorary president of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and working with the charity Missing People.

Catherine, Princess of Wales—90 engagements in 2022

Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales (born 1982), is the eldest daughter of entrepreneurs Michael and Carole Middleton and grew up in the English county of Berkshire.

After meeting Prince William while studying History of Art at the University of St Andrews, Kate worked a number of jobs including as an accessories buyer for the British fashion label, Jigsaw.

After her marriage, Kate became HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and began slowly undertaking public engagements on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II and the crown.

The royal holds charity and military patronages that include the National Portrait Gallery and SportsAid.

After the death of the queen and King Charles naming Prince William the new Prince of Wales, Kate became the first Princess of Wales to use the title since Princess Diana's death in 1997.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent—78 engagements in 2022

Prince Edward Duke of Kent (born 1935) is another second cousin of King Charles III through his father, Prince George Duke of Kent, who was an uncle to Queen Elizabeth II.

Edward became Duke of Kent at the age of 6 following his father's death during a flying operation with the Royal Air Force during World War II.

In 1961, the duke married Katherine Worsley, who became a duchess and who, alongside her husband, undertook a full diary of public engagements until she decided to stop using her royal titles in 2002.

The duke's patronages center around the armed forces, having trained and served with the army from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The Kents have three children: George, Earl of St Andrews (born 1962); Lady Helen Taylor (born 1964); and Lord Nicholas Windsor (born 1977).

He lives with the duchess at Kensington Palace.

Princess Alexandra of Kent—44 engagements in 2022

Princess Alexandra (born 1936) is the younger sister of Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and the oldest living female member of the blood royal family.

After being educated in Paris, Alexandra started undertaking official royal duties alongside her mother, Princess Marina, in the 1950s.

In 1963, the princess married the Honorable Angus Ogilvy and the couple had two children: James Ogilvy (born 1964); and Marina Ogilvy (born 1966). She has four grandchildren.

Alexandra took on a number of the patronages left by her mother following her death in 1968 which include medical and hospice charities.

The princess lives between St James's Palace in London and Thatched Lodge House in Richmond Park.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's Royal Reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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