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She's often been called the "hardest-working royal," long regarded for her deep devotion to royal duties. And there is every expectation that Princess Anne will reschedule the visit the no-fuss, down-to-earth royal was meant to make to Newfoundland this weekend once the 73-year-old has recovered from the head injury she sustained at her estate in western England a few days ago. (Anne was released from hospital and returned to her home on Friday.
) Still, the absence of King Charles's sister in Canada — and from a jam-packed itinerary in the U.K. over the past week — reinforces a larger issue for the Royal Family these days.
"It certainly is a reminder of how few working royals there are," Justin Vovk, a royal commentator and a PhD candidate at McMaster University in Hamilton who specializes in the history of the monarchy, said in an interview. "And I think more than that, it's a reminder of how much she does — the fact that these visits had to be cancelled, these obligations had to be cancelled, the fact that they couldn't simply slot somebody else in." For several years, there has been a general sense that once King Charles became monarch, there would be a move toward a "slimmed-down" monarchy.
WATCH | Princess Anne puts off trip to Canada after injury: Princess Anne postpones trip to Canada, other events after injury 5 days.
