The Duke of Sussex once revealed just what impact the document has on the Royal Family.

Prince Harry revealed what document adds to the family’s competitiveness (Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Prince Harry has made many revelations about the Royal Family and royal life over the last few years, whether that be on Netflix, in interviews, or in his 2023 memoir Spare. Among those revelations was the claim that there was one “sinister document” that the Royal Family read each year that would drive competitiveness between the royals.

This was revealed by the Duke of Sussex in his memoir Spare, with the document Harry was referring to being The Court Circular. The offical tally of royal engagements completed by working members is released daily but at the end of the year a total for the whole year is issued by St. James’s Palace.

It is then printed at the back of The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman.

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Writing in his memoir, Harry claimed the documents would lead to members of the family being compared to one another, and “weaponized” feelings of competitiveness among royals.

He wrote: “At the end of the year, when all the numbers got tallied, comparisons would be made in the press. Ah, this one’s busier than that one. Ah, this one’s a lazy s—.

“The Court Circular was an ancient document, but it had lately morphed into a circular firing squad. It didn’t create the feelings of competitiveness that ran in my family, but it amplified them, weaponized them.”

Harry, 41, also claimed that while the family never spoke about The Court Circular directly, it was something they were all aware of, especially at the end of the year.

King Charles was named hardest-working royal last year (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

He said: “Certain family members had become obsessed, feverishly striving to have the highest number of official engagements recorded in the Circular each year, no matter what, and they’d succeeded largely by including things that weren’t, strictly speaking, engagements, recording public interactions that were mere blips, the kinds of things Willy and I wouldn’t dream of including.

“It was all self-reported, all subjective. Nine private visits with veterans, helping with their mental health? Zero points. Flying via helicopter to cut a ribbon at a horse farm? Winner!”

While Princess Anne, 75, is often dubbed the hardest-working royal and tends to carry out the most royal engagements every year, this was not the case in 2025.

Instead, King Charles won the title of hardest-working royal after carrying out the most royal engagements of the year.