Prince Edward leads royal engagements while Queen Camilla heads on holiday

Prince Edward will travel from Leatherhead to Leeds in the coming days for eight engagements. Photo / AP

First it was the Princess Royal, hailed as the saviour of the royal family as she carried the burden of public duty in the wake of the King’s cancer diagnosis and the Princess of Wales’ operation.

Then came the Queen, stepping up for a series of engagements to keep the show on the road.

Ready for his turn in the spotlight this week? The Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Edward will travel from Leatherhead to Leeds in the coming days for eight engagements, as the royal family face another week of questions and concern over their depleted public-facing ranks.

The duke will be extra-visible in the lead-up to the celebrations for his 60th birthday on Sunday, March 10.

His diary will largely be designed around his support for the arts, with engagements at a theatre, a community radio station and the ballet.

His wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, will join him for a Friday in Leeds, with an outing to see a performance of Romeo and Juliet, as they mix the business of supporting the Northern Ballet and pleasure.

His birthday is thought to be a useful occasion to highlight his work for the royal family, and how he is continuing his late father’s legacy.

Last year, on his 59th birthday, the King conferred the title of the Duke of Edinburgh on him, in line with the late Queen and Prince Philip’s wishes.

Queen Camilla stepped up for King Charles when he had to pull back from the spotlight following his cancer diagnosis. Photo / AP

This week, the duke’s workload will be matched only by his elder sister, the Princess Royal, who will undertake nine engagements boosting causes from opening sheltered housing to Save the Children.

The Queen, 76, has no engagements in her diary and is confirmed to be going on a “long-scheduled” holiday as has become her custom at this time of year. A source emphasised the break is not due to exhaustion or related to her husband’s health.

She will nevertheless take time off, as reported by The Sun, to be flying overseas for a “sunshine break”.

She has undertaken 13 official engagements since the King’s cancer diagnosis was announced on February 5.

The King will continue to carry out state business from home. He has filmed a Commonwealth Day message to be shown on March 11, his first broadcast since his cancer diagnosis.

The Princess Royal has also taken on greater responsibilities in helping out with public duties. Photo / AP

The theme of this year’s Westminster Abbey service is One Resilient Common Future.

The Prince of Wales will also hold engagements later in the week. He was said to be planning to be “out and about” while his wife remains at home recovering from abdominal surgery.

Last week, he missed a memorial for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, for “personal” reasons, but went on to speak out about anti-Semitism during a visit to a synagogue, and spent St David’s Day in Wales.

The princess is not due back at work for some weeks.

The royal family will next assemble en masse for the Commonwealth Day service, one of the events closest to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s heart.