Court Circular - Reality

[FlyOnAWing]

Court Circular goes up to the 10th of March and records royal engagements. Number of engagements are reported on and the annual number announced every year. So in 2022 Charles did 181 engagements. But what do engagements look like? Below are the engagements for the main Royals for the last 2 days available. During this time Charles did 11 engagements in two days. His average number of engagements in one month is 15. So one more day and Charles will have done as many engagements as he does in a month. He is the second hardest working Royal.

Last year William had 121 engagements, a monthly average of 10 engagements. In these two days he did 4 engagements at less than 2 hours work each day. He only has to work another three days in March to hit his annual average engagements.

10th March:
William: Attended Official Opening of the Gates of Temple Bar - about an hours work
Received Hannah Jones - 20 minutes work
Camilla: Visited ITM Power plc - about an hours work.
Charles attended the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal - this is just listening to music
At that event was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant - 20 minutes

9th March:
Charles visited Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, and planted a tree - about an hour
His Excellency the Hon. Philip Goff was received in audience by The King today upon his appointment as High Commissioner for New Zealand in London - max 20 mins
Mrs. Goff was also received by His Majesty - max 20 mins
His Excellency the Hon. Stephen Smith was received in audience by The King upon his appointment as High Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Australia in London - max 20 mins
Ms. Jane Seymour was also received by His Majesty - max 20 mins
The King received Addresses from Privileged Bodies to which His Majesty was graciously pleased to make reply - 20 mins
King held a Reception at Buckingham Palace - max 1 hour
King visited the Animal and Plant Health Agency, - 1 hour
His Majesty received briefings on the work of the Agency and visited the Avian Influenza Virology High Containment Laboratory and the Genome Mapping Laboratory, before visiting the Library and meeting members of staff and scientists. - 1 hour

Camilla planted trees - 30 minutes
William and Kate - visited Hayes Muslim Centre - 1 hour
Were received by Deputy Lieutenant - 20 minutes

You don’t mention the work the Royal Family carries out not in the public arena and do not come under the heading of Engagements - for example correspondence, liaising with their charities etc. In Charles’ case, going through dispatch boxes.

Charles as King does have other duties. The others simply have to quickly liaise with other staff who do the rest.
However worth noting that in 2018 when the was very elderly, she completed 293 engagements.
Most years the Queen had more engagements than most of the Royals.

@Mrsjayy 😁 Just so 👏

But there will be other stuff they do - as in as a PP has said working with their charities , correspondence , am sure W will have to have meetings with those who run the Duchy of Cornwall. Yes they get long holidays , but a few 20 minute engagements per month + 15 min briefings as the only things they have to do I think is naive.

I would not swap with them for worlds. Yes , never have to worry about mortgage , rent , school fees , food on the table , being able to have lovely and long holidays - all lovely but unlike other well off people - they can't decide to retire at eg 55. The scrutiny , I would not want at all. So lovely houses , no money worries but I think I once read if you are a senior working royal your diary is mapped out for 3 or four years & illness aside that is what you do. So to some extent your life is not your own.

But yes shocker in so many ways they are privileged. Who'd have thought it 😃

Presumably you’ll also retire at some point, and not be working until you’re 97?

I wouldn’t want to swap with them.

A job where they always have to be ‘on’ as there will always be someone trying to catch them out, filming them constantly, and it will go on until you die.

Sounds fucking awful to me

I will work until 67 full time. I have worked since 16 years old. Neither William or Charles have done that.

@BasiliskStare William will have occasional meetings with the manager who runs the Duchy. Charles used to take a lot of interest in it and be involved, William reportedly is not that interested. The Duchy provides a very large income to the Heir, so hardly a hardship to have some meetings about it.

You need to add travel, preparation from aides (sometimes can be done en route), small talk etc. some engagement of only an hour may still be 3-4 hours set aside.

Then for the king there's daily red boxes from government

It was just that you detailed the time it would take in a helicopter - I just wondered why if the journey wasn't done in a helicopter, just seems a bit irrelevant. I wonder how long it takes on a bicycle. Or in a Lear jet.

'William reportedly is not that interested.'

How do you know this? Have you spoken to him about his interests?

@Coxspurplepippin I gave the time by car or helicopter. I know they often use helicopters.

When we have tea once a week. He does not count it as an official engagement but is pushing Charles to let him include it.

I’m fascinated to know more about you OP and your personal circumstances… partner? Children? Friends? Hobbies? Enjoy your work?

You’re missing the point.

I’m mid 30s, have worked since I was 14, with a Saturday job down the market and will retire at whatever age it will be by the time I get there.

Im in my busy period of work right now, I work from 9 to midnight some nights.

But I still wouldn’t swap with them, the idea of constantly being ‘on’ until you die, makes me shudder.

Classic deflection attempt below
OP has every right to highlight this issue

The court circular is a nonsense.
The royals slowly learnt that they needed to be seen to be doing 'something' - this is what they get away with .

They all work very part-time. And then you get people saying oh no I would not want that life, Imagine having to work about 20 hours a month and be photographed and filmed at some of that work. And be paid millions, how dreadful.

It depends on your priorities/personality I suppose.

Some people would love their lives to be non stop parties/awards ceremonies/idle chit chat, and posing for pics.

I would hate it, people scrutinising my behaviour at all times, gleefully hoping for me to slip up. It’s not the amount of work they do I wouldn’t want. It’s the type, and the scrutiny.

I’d make a great lady of leisure though, a few hours of work a week, yoga and wellness retreats, time to faff about trying new recipes/new hobbies/getting through my massive pile of unread books. A team of nannies for the drudgery while I did all the fun bits with the kids. I’d swap for that in a heartbeat lol

And not being able to stroll down to a cafe on a Sunday morning with your children having a pastry and hot drink and then go for walk… without a load of security and paparazzi

no thank you

Kate managed to attend the Sarah Everard vigil in London and not be noticed.

Another name change for OP….

The obsession! Analysing all the rf’s engagements… do you really think that we will all go, “How terrible! M&H would have done soooo much better.” And don’t even begin to claim that you are not under another guise a “fan” !

She would have had a shed load of security

I love anonymity. I love walking out my front door whenever the heck I love, strolling in to town to meet a friend for a coffee without an entourage. Attending my children’s matches without security. Working in my office with my colleagues heading out at lunch for a bit to eat, popping in to marks to pick up a few bits for dinner, going out for dinner with an old school friend.

all on my terms, whenever I like, and not needing to consult anyone at any point In time.

It’s why I am SO curious to know more about the OP

on the basis of all the threads, I’m imagining an AlanBennett Talking Heads like a character

Well she was noticed wasn't she? Hence your post. 🤷🏼‍♀️
I think she had at least one female protection officer with her IIRC.

I agree, it’s all this, plus preparation and briefings. And other people plan all this on their behalf, they can’t just say no thanks, I don’t feel like it today / I don’t want to meet that person.

'tis certainly odd (but very noticeable)

Most of us don't get paraded around in front of billions hours after our parents/grandparents die either. I wouldn't trade places with them no matter how much money and privilege they have.