Here's what the royal family actually does every day (2024)

• It can be hard to tell what the royal family's official duties are.
• Generally, every royal supports charities, appears at events, and occasionally travels the globe to strengthen diplomatic relationships.
• But some royals also have day jobs, and others have long military careers.

People all over the world are obsessed with the British royal family. Most fans know all the royal names and faces, the line of succession to the throne, and even the family's rarely-used last name.

But — despite the constant flood of royal paparazzi photos and press releases — it can be tough to discern what it is the family members actually do.

The royals don'tneed to worry about money, since they're supported by both taxpayers and a massive family fortune. So if they don'thaveto work, what are theydoing day in and day out? This guide breaks down their general duties.

Let's start with the head of the royal family: Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. The new head of the royal family is her son King Charles III.

Prior to her passing, the Queen's calendar was filled with various activities known by the catch-all term "engagements."

Engagements include hosting heads of state, taking diplomatic trips, throwingparties at palaces, opening new sessions of Parliament, presenting citizens with awards, and a whole bunch more.

The Telegraph reported that the Queen carried out 341 engagements in 2015 — more than Prince Harry, Prince William, and Katecombined.

The Queen had to be neutral in all political matters and couldn't vote, but she did have a ceremonial role in the UK government. She opened each session of Parliament in person, and had visits with the Prime Minister as well as other world leaders.

Any legislation passed by Parliament had to get the Queen's stamp of approval (technically known as Royal Assent) before becoming law. It's mostly a formality, though: No monarch has refused to give Royal Assent since 1707, when Queen Anne refused a bill that would have recreated theScottish militia after England and Scotland were formally unified.

She also personally presented citizens with titles of honor. Yes, that includes becoming a knight like Elton John or a dame like Helen Mirren — but there's a slew of other honorsfor achievements in the military, science, and more.

In addition, she was the Colonel-in-Chief of the armed forces who presided over many military ceremonies and appointed new archbishops, bishops, and deans as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Her charity work is impressive, too: As of her 90th birthday in April 2016, the Queen was a patron of 600 charities, though the palace announced that she would hand off some of her roles in these organizations to other members of the family.

The other royals are there to support the queen and be where she can't be.

The Queen couldn't be in two places at once, so she relied on the rest of the royal family to help fulfill engagements and connect with the public. As a team, the royal family has about 2,000 engagements, entertains 70,000 guests, and answers 100,000 letters every year.

And there are about 3,000 charitable organizations that list a member of the royal family as a patron. Many have established their own charities, too.

The Queen's husband Philip, for example, attended engagements and is a patron of 800 charities prior to his death in April 2022 at the age of 99. The Queen's oldest son, Charles who is now King, did lots of international trips with his wife to foster diplomatic relations. William and Kate have also taken a number of official tours, including a trip to Canada earlier this year.

Some members of the family have day jobs, and others served in the military.

A few family members have held non-royal jobs over the years: Edward, the Queen's youngest son, once worked for Andrew Lloyd Webber's theater company, while his wife had her own PR agency. Andrew, the Queen's second son, worked in government as theUK'sSpecial Representative for International Trade and Investment. And the Queen's only daughter, Anne, was an Olympic athlete on Great Britain's equestrian team.

The family also has a long military history: The Queen, all three of her sons, Prince William, and Prince Harry all served in the armed forces, though none are still activetoday.

In fact, for the most part, the royals have stepped awayfrom their personal endeavorsin order to support the queen full-time.

There are a few notable exceptions:The Queen's granddaughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, currently seventh and eighth in line to the throne, have day jobs.Eugenie is an associate director at an art gallery, Harper's Bazaar reports, andPrincess Beatrice's websitesays that she "works full time in the business world." The Queen's first cousin, Prince Michael, has his own consultancy business, and his wife is an interior designer.

Themost famous working royal isWilliam, Duke of Cambridge, who is an air ambulance pilotfor East Anglian Air Ambulance — though a new report says that he may soon step down from his job to assist thequeen, too.

Want to find out more about each royal's engagements and personal charity work? You can find their detailed bios on the royal family's official website.