Though the royal family itself is growing, the number of people who work for the British monarchy might be smaller than you think.
Working royals represent the monarchy at royal engagements, from charitable events to state ceremonies. Kids like Prince George or extended members of the royal family like Princess Beatrice don’t attend events in an official capacity.
There are currently only 11 working royals, and many of them are over 75. King Charles is on the younger end at 77, 50 years older than Queen Elizabeth was when she inherited the crown.
Here’s a full list of who currently represents the British monarchy, plus a rundown of why a few former working royals no longer do.
King Charles III
King Charles, 77, formally known as the Prince of Wales, is the eldest son of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. At 32, Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. The former couple welcomed two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry.
Charles and Diana separated in 1992 before her death five years later in Paris. He married Queen Camilla, formerly the Duchess of Cornwall, in a civil ceremony in April 2005.
He became King Charles in September 2022 following the death of his mother, making him the oldest person to take the throne in British history.
Throughout his life, Charles has remained one of the most prominent British royals and has continued to perform public engagements. He stepped back from “front-facing duties” while he was being treated for cancer in early 2024, but he was still involved in “state business and official paperwork.” He returned to a more normal working schedule in April 2024 and has been working fairly steadily since.
Queen Camilla
Camilla, the daughter of wealthy aristocrats, became a member of the British royal family after marrying King Charles in April 2005. Although her relationship with Charles made her Princess of Wales, she opted to use the title Duchess of Cornwall because it wasn’t closely associated with Princess Diana.
Camilla, 79, and Charles never had children, but she shares two with her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles: Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.
Before her death, Queen Elizabeth announced that she wanted Camilla to become “Queen Consort,” which refers to the spouse or companion of a monarch. Since becoming Queen, Camilla has appeared at many public engagements in support of the royal family.
The Prince and Princess of Wales
Prince William, heir to the throne, is the eldest son of King Charles III and Princess Diana. William met Kate, both 44, while attending the University of St Andrews from 2001 to 2005.
William proposed to Kate during an October 2010 vacation to Kenya, and they officially married in April 2011, when they were granted the titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The king made them the Prince and Princess of Wales in September 2022, following Queen Elizabeth’s death.
From 2013 to 2018, the couple welcomed three children: Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8.
During their marriage, William and Kate have performed numerous royal duties together, often undertaking royal tours and welcoming guests to state visits alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Kate took a break from her royal duties in the first half of 2024 when she was undergoing treatment for cancer. She appeared at Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon in the summer of 2024 before announcing she had completed chemotherapy in September. She ramped back up her royal engagements in the fall, and in January 2025, she shared that she was in remission.
Anne, Princess Royal
Anne, 76, is the second-oldest child of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. Anne’s official biography said that she began public engagements at 18 in 1969 and received the Princess Royal title in 1987.
She married Captain Mark Phillips in November 1973, but the pair divorced in April 1992. They share two children: Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips. Anne went on to marry Admiral Timothy Lawrence in December 1992.
Anne has been an avid horseback rider, even competing in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. She has also consistently supported the British monarchy; in 2025, she attended the most royal engagements of any member of the royal family aside from the king, as Vanity Fair reported.
Most recently, the Princess Royal accompanied William to the funeral of King Harald V of Norway in September 2026.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
Prince Edward, 62, is the youngest child of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. When Edward married Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, 61, in 1999, they became the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The couple has welcomed two children: Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.
King Charles gave the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh titles to the couple in March 2023.
Edward’s official biography said he developed a love for television production and writing, prompting him to found his own company — Ardent Productions — in 1993. Sophie’s biography said she began her career in public relations, working for five years before starting her own firm. Notably, Edward took over the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for his father, championing young people.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Prince Richard, the second son of Prince Henry and Princess Alice, is Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin. His biography said Richard, 82, became heir to his father’s title as Duke of Gloucester when his older brother died in a flying accident in 1972. He officially received the title after his father’s death in 1974.
Richard married Birgitte van Deurs, 80, in 1972, and they had three children together: Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster; Lady Davina Lewis; and Lady Rose Gilman.
Richard and Birgitte have supported the monarchy in public engagements, with Richard’s first engagement being the wedding of Nepal’s crown prince, according to his biography. In August 2026, the couple attended a ceremony marking the UK’s first National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism, and they are often photographed at events such as Royal Ascot and Wimbledon.
The Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, son of Prince George and Princess Marina, is a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The 90-year-old received the Duke of Kent title in 1942 when his father died in a “wartime flying accident” near Scotland, his biography said.
It added that Edward joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he qualified as a French interpreter and won the Sir James Moncrieff Grierson Award for foreign languages. Edward became a working member of the royal family after retiring from the British Army in 1976.
Edward married the late Miss Katharine Worsley in June 1961 and had three children: George, Earl of St Andrews; Lady Helen Taylor; and Lord Nicholas Windsor. Worsley died at 92 in September 2025.
Edward became the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1970 as part of his royal duties. In May 2026, he was at the king’s side during a service for the Order of St Michael and St George at St Paul’s Cathedral, and he most recently appeared at Wimbledon.
Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, 89, is the sister of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. Her biography said she was the first British princess to attend an “ordinary” school and is a trained nurse.
Alexandra married Angus Ogilvy, son of the Earl of Airlie, in April 1963, when her chief bridesmaid was a 13-year-old Princess Anne. The couple has two children: James and Marina.
According to her biography, Alexandra and Ogilvy performed numerous public duties before his death in December 2004, and she still attends engagements on her own today. The princess attended a celebration at Buckingham Palace in April 2026 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as working royals in January 2020.
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, “stepped back” as senior members of the royal family in 2020 and said they would not return as working royals.
Harry, 42, and Meghan, 45, moved from the UK to North America in March 2020, first living in Canada and then settling in Montecito, California.
The couple was raising Prince Archie, 7, and their daughter, Princess Lilibet, 5, in California, and operating as private citizens, producing television shows for Netflix, podcasts, and Meghan’s business, As Ever.
Their relationship with the royal family has remained frosty since they stepped back, but Harry saw his father a handful of times in 2025 and 2026. In August 2026, he and Meghan moved back to the London area and enrolled their children in UK schools, as outlets like the BBC and People reported at the time.
In September 2026, the Lord Chamberlain sent a letter on behalf of King Charles clarifying that the couple’s physical return to the UK wouldn’t change their status as working royals, as the BBC reported.
The letter, which was sent to the duke and duchess, the military, and the government, said the couple will remain “private citizens with commercial and charitable interests” and cannot use their HRH titles when supporting charities or other organizations.
Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the matter.
The royal formerly known as Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal patronages in 2022.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother to the king, was demoted by Queen Elizabeth in 2022. The Queen stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his military titles and royal patronages after he was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre. He has repeatedly denied Giuffre’s allegations. He settled the lawsuit in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing.
In October 2025, he gave up his royal titles as scrutiny surrounding his links to Jeffrey Epstein intensified. A statement from Buckingham Palace said, “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.”
“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Mountbatten-Windsor said in his own statement. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further,” he added. “I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
In February 2026, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his ties to Epstein. Police released him under investigation about 11 hours after his arrest.
He has repeatedly denied any involvement with Epstein’s sex-trafficking crimes.
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