King Charles III carried out official engagements on 175 days in the past 12 months, an increase on previous years, even as Buckingham Palace disclosed he has been receiving treatment after a cancer diagnosis.
The tally — compiled from the Court Circular by the PA news agency — compares with 133 official engagement days in the preceding 12 months and 161 in the first year of his reign. The past year also included the 1,000th day since his accession and marked a busy calendar of domestic and international travel.
Charles made several long-haul and high-profile visits during the year. In October 2024 he travelled to Australia and on to Samoa to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. In May 2025 he spent two days in Canada, including opening the current session of parliament. He also travelled to Poland on January 27, 2025, to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and in April 2025 made a four-day visit to Italy during which he became the first British monarch to address the Italian parliament.
Those international engagements built on earlier historic appearances: in 2023 Charles became the first British monarch to address the French Senate and the German Bundestag. The latest year was notable for being the farthest the King has travelled from the UK since his accession.
At home, his diary took him across the United Kingdom to engagements in places as geographically diverse as Lossiemouth in north Scotland, Banbridge in County Down, and Deal on the Kent coast, as well as visits to Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Durham, Edinburgh and Middlesbrough. One engagement took the King out to sea to meet the crew of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in the English Channel ahead of the ship’s deployment to Japan.
Charles continued regular formal audiences with prime ministers: he had 22 such meetings over the past year, the same number as in his second year on the throne and four fewer than the 26 held in his first year. The past 12 months were the first of his reign not to include a change of prime minister; Rishi Sunak succeeded Liz Truss in October 2022 and Sir Keir Starmer took office on July 5, 2024, before the most recent year covered by the figures.
The King also maintained a schedule of one-to-one audiences with leaders of charities, businesses, ambassadors and heads of state. Those meetings included welcoming Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to London in June 2025 and hosting French president Emmanuel Macron in July.
Buckingham Palace announced in February 2024 that the King had been diagnosed with a form of cancer and would undergo regular treatment. Charles was largely out of public view during parts of March and April 2024 while receiving care, but returned to a full programme of public duties thereafter.
Beyond formal state and political duties, the past year included personal milestones and lighter-profile engagements. The King celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary to Queen Camilla, marked the 1,000th day of his reign, and shared personal interests such as a playlist of favourite songs while undertaking public work.
The analysis of engagement days shows the Princess Royal remained the most active senior royal, carrying out engagements on 189 days in the past year. Other senior royals recorded lower totals: the Duke of Edinburgh on 129 days, the Duchess of Edinburgh on 117, the Prince of Wales on 107 and the Princess of Wales on 37.
Charles acceded to the throne on Sept. 8, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years. The royal household’s public activity continues to be recorded in the Court Circular, which provides the official day-by-day record of the family’s engagements.