Harry and Meghan Markle urged to return to royal duties as Princess Anne ‘risks burnout’

Harry and Meghan left the UK in January 2020 after exiting the Royal Family (
Image: Getty Images)

Princess Anne has been forced to step up after her brother King Charles took time off from his duties following his cancer diagnosis, and Kate Middleton is still recovering following her health news

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been urged to return to royal duties over concerns Princess Anne risks “burnout”.

The 73-year-old has been forced to step up her royal engagements as her brother King Charles recovers away from the spotlight following his cancer treatment in February. Anne has also taken on more duties as it was revealed Kate Middleton would also be out of action after undergoing major abdominal surgery in January, and the Princess Royal now works 70% of public engagements.

The mother-of-two was well-known for being the hardest working of all the senior royals, but as her workload increases, there have been calls for Harry and Meghan to return to the UK and take on more engagements to help during the family’s time of need. The princess is showing no sign of slowing down, and is expected to undertake 55 of the 78 planned public engagements until May 10. Analysis also revealed that Anne only worked around half of the royal events back in 2022, and her workload has increased exponentially due to her brother and Kate being out of action after they were diagnosed with cancer.

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Harry and Meghan have faced calls to return to royal duties ( Image: Getty Images)

Anne has taken on the bulk of the workload following Charles and Kate’s health news
( Image: Getty Images)

At one point in her busy schedule, Anne will attend a staggering five events in a single day, and will also be working weekends. Over the next two months, the official diary of the Royal Family’s events does not mention King Charles, Prince William or Kate, meaning Anne and Charles’ wife Camilla will be on hand to attend various engagements over the next few weeks.

Wellbeing experts shared their concerns over Princess Anne’s health in the long-term, as her dedication to serving the family could come at a cost. “We are deeply concerned for her wellbeing and worry Her Royal Highness may be on the brink of burnout. While we are confident HRH serves her country tirelessly with unmatched dedication, we urge other royals to get involved to balance the workload,” the experts from GoSmokeFree explained.

Anne is known as the ‘hardest working’ royal
( Image: Getty Images)

“Perhaps it is time for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return to the UK and support the sovereign as working royals during such a critical period for the royal family. Their involvement in attending public engagements would become crucial in lightening the heavy workload Princess Anne has taken upon herself and prevent her from reaching burnout,” they added.

Prince Harry and Meghan have faced calls to return to the UK after Charles revealed his diagnosis in February, and it was rumoured they could be taking on some duties after Kate shared her devastating cancer diagnosis in a video last week. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to comment on the speculation surrounding their return, they are due to be back in the UK on May 8 for an Invictus Games event in London.