Although Queen Elizabeth II had only two official days of rest this year – Christmas Day and Easter – the 75-year-old British monarch has been taking things slightly easier over the past 12 months. According to a survey of visits and engagements in the Court Circular, Buckingham Palace lightened the royal schedule by about a third last year.
Fewer engagements were pencilled in on Prince Philip’s calendar as well, with nearly 140 visits cut compared with the previous year.
The Queen carried out over 400 engagements in 2001, nearly 125 fewer than the year before. The bulk of the change was in overseas travel, as her visits abroad went from 113 last year to just 15 in 2001. The Duke of Edinburgh’s decrease in engagements was almost entirely in overseas travel – he only carried out one less domestic engagement this year compared with 2000. Despite her advanced years, the 101-year-old Queen Mother undertook a rigorous schedule in 2001, increasing her load to over 50 official engagements – half a dozen more than the previous year. Princess Anne was the hardest working royal in the new millennium, with a total of 655 visits at home and abroad. The coming year is shaping up to be a busy one for the royal family, too, particularly the Queen and Prince Philip. With the Queen’s upcoming Golden Jubilee celebrations, the royal couple is expected to venture all over the globe, travelling throughout Britain as well as Australia, Canada, Jamaica and New Zealand.
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