What the Royal Family might have done if they weren't royal - from Princess Anne's farm life to Kate Middleton's pre-marriage careers

For the senior working royals, it's a full-time thing - and their busy schedules don't leave time for much else.

From travelling the world on their royal tours to helping establish and represent hundreds of charities, the senior royals work hard.

But, based on their surprising skills and hobbies, little nuggets of insight they've shared in interviews over the years, and pure speculation, what careers could they have pursued had they never gone down the royal route?

What jobs the Royal Family might have done if they weren't royal

Princess Anne’s practical back up plan

She's known to be one of the hardest-working royals, undertaking hundreds of engagements a year, but Princess Anne, true to her straightforward nature, had a practical plan in place if it ever all went away.

In an interview from 1983 alongside her first husband Mark Phillips, she was reminded by interviewer Michael Parkinson of her answer to the question 'If you could spend a day as a commoner, what job would you like to do?' She had said that she would like to drive a lorry.

Or, more specifically, as she expanded, "I think it was more precise than that. I was going to earn my living and as I've got an HGV licence I don't mind spending time on one's own driving."

Queen Elizabeth II could have carried on with cars

The late Queen Elizabeth II reigned for a historic 70 years before her passing in 2022 - this made her the longest-ruling British monarch of all time. So, for her, royal duty and life was all she ever really knew.

But, in an alternate world without abdications and the untimely death of her father, Her Majesty might have been able to pursue her career with cars.

As a young Princess, she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during World War II, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to serve in the armed forces, training as a mechanic and driver. She continued to be a savvy driver for most of her life.

King Charles might have been an artist (he has already sold paintings!)

King Charles is a long-time supporter of the arts - but he also could've found himself as a working artiste.

During his youth, he was taught by some of Britain’s finest artists, including John Napper, John Ward, Hugh Casson, Edward Seago and Derek Hill. According to the Telegraph, he describes himself as an "enthusiastic amateur," but his prowess and preference for watercolours saw him become an honorary member of the Royal Academy and the Royal Watercolour Society.

He's actually already proven that he could make some money as a painter - selling his works for more than £2 million since 1997, and donating the money to charitable causes.

Kate Middleton could have carried on in fashion

Unlike other senior royals, Kate Middleton wasn't born into it. Meaning she actually has some experience working some 'regular' jobs, like her time as an accessories buyer for Jigsaw.

Belle Robinson, Jigsaw’s co-founder, has said of Kate, "I have to say I was so impressed by her... She sat in the kitchen at lunchtime and chatted with everyone from the van drivers to the accounts girls. She wasn't precious."

Duchess Sophie could have continued her PR business

Before she married Prince Edward and later became a senior member of the Royal Family, representing the monarchy in high-profile events across the globe, Sophie Rhys-Jones had nurtured a thriving career in public relations.

She represented firms across the UK, Switzerland and Australia before opening her own agency in 1996.

Princess Diana might have been a nursery teacher

As the late Princess of Wales, Princess Diana was celebrated around the world for her warmth, kindness and empathy. Her effortless way of putting other people at ease - from AIDS patients to children in hospital - proved she was a natural royal, and these skills might have helped her in her pre-royal career.

Diana had worked as a nursery school assistant at the Young England School in Pimlico, and had she not married Charles, perhaps she might have continued this and become a fully qualified teacher.

Kate Middleton could have continued working with her mother

Had Kate Middleton not become Princess of Wales, she might have continued working alongside her mother, Carole Middleton.

Carole Middleton founded her business, Party Pieces, in 1987 and has spoken of how all her children at one time helped her grow the business. This included Kate, who reports suggest, helped with tasks including website design, photography and developing new ventures.

"Party Pieces has literally grown alongside my family, and I'm very proud of that," Carole told Sheer Luxe. "Pippa wrote our 'Party Times' blog, James did the cakes when he first left school, and Catherine developed our first birthday and baby category."

Queen Elizabeth II could have been a horse trainer

Queen Elizabeth II's love of horses was a well-known part of her history-making 70-year reign. Having started as a youngster when she got her first horse at age four. It was a Shetland named Peggy, and from then on, she went on to be an avid rider, riding around the grounds of Balmoral and Windsor into her 90s (she was reportedly still riding gently just a few years before her death in 2022).

It extended to a love and knowledge of racing. As an owner and breeder, she had an expert knowledge of horses, breeding lines, and the racing industry - and even bred a few champion, race-winning horses.

Prince Edward could have worked in television

He is now the Duke of Edinburgh, having taken over the title from his late father, Prince Philip, but Prince Edward's life might have looked different - and he showed an early potential working in television.

After a brief stint with the Royal Marines, Prince Edward focused on a career within the arts. He worked as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company before founding his own production company, Ardent Productions, in 1993. Edward stepped down to focus on his royal duties in 2002.

The late Queen might have been a comic impressionist

Okay, this one took us by surprise. While she was known for a dry wit, one might find it hard to believe that the late Queen reportedly once told a friend that she had ambitions to be a comic impressionist.

Author and TV personality Gyles Brandreth once told Times Radio, per the Express,"There was a woman who came called Florence Desmond. She did impressions - Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and Vera Lynn. The Queen told me that if she hadn't been Queen, she might quite have liked to have been an impressionist. I said, 'Really? What can you do?'

"And she said, 'I can do George Formby'. And there and then, the Queen picked up an imaginary ukulele and she sang to me, When I'm Cleaning Windows."

Princess Anne also had a passion for engineering

Known for her practicality and her penchant for mucking in and getting a job done, it's no surprise that Princess Anne has hinted at what interests she might have pursued further had she not been the Princess Royal.

"The practicalities of how things work, I think, was always interesting as far as I was concerned," she has previously shared with Vanity Fair, adding, "But I think it was a little bit early in the sort of scheme of things to have gone down that route."

This snippet comes as she also praised efforts with getting schoolchildren - especially young girls - more involved with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Kate Middleton might have become a photographer

Kate Middleton's love of photography is well known, and she's shared some of her work over the years, most notably taking family portraits.

And, in another world, she might have made a living from her hobby. In 2023, the Professional Publishers’ Association even awarded the Princess of Wales the Cover of the Year award for the portrait she shot of Queen Camilla for Country Life magazine.

Prince William might have remained a pilot

After graduating from Sandhurst, Prince William joined the Royal Air Force, working as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. As a fully operational pilot, he participated in over 150 search and rescue operations. He later worked as an East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot between 2015 and 2017.

He would later give it up to focus on his full-time royal duties and expanding family responsibilities.

Princess Margaret might have had a career as an actress

Princess Margaret lived a life worthy of a Hollywood diva - with a most elaborate morning routine and a penchant for trading barbs with stars like Elizabeth Taylor - and some who knew the rebel royal thought she could have pursued a career in performance.

Marian Crawford, the governess to the young Elizabeth and Margaret, who was affectionately known as Crawfie, wrote in her book The Little Princesses, Margaret had a "considerable talent" for performing.

King Charles could’ve been a farmer

King Charles' love for gardening and nature is well known, and we could easily imagine him making it a full-time career in another life. After all, His Majesty has been running Home Farm from his 900-acre Gloucestershire retreat, Highgrove, since 1985.

Through Highgrove, he supplies organic produce for the Waitrose Duchy Organic brand, with popular products including jam, juices and alcoholic beverages.

In a 2016 interview with BBC Radio programme Gardeners’ Question Time, Charles described gardening as "the most therapeutic business."

Princess Anne working on the farm

She's never happier than with the animals and out in nature - Prince Philip said it best about his daughter, famously stating, "If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested" - so it's plausible Princess Anne could've made a living working on the farm.

When appearing on an interview with Terry Wogan in 1982, the broadcaster asked her what she'd do if the royalty was abolished. Showcasing that signature no-nonsense attitude, Anne stated she'd just "work even harder on the farm".

Kate might have pursued a career in charity

Despite coming to royal life later on through her relationship with Prince William, Kate Middleton has flourished, giving speeches in front of world leaders and helping to spotlight important causes.

Even without the royal encouragement, Kate might have always worked in charity or development. She did take a gap year to work with a sustainable development charity called Raleigh International in Chile.

Prince William might have served in the military

Being the future King, Prince William is already an established senior figure in the military. However, had he not been the future King, he might have been able to pursue a more hands-on career within the armed forces.

Indeed, during the Iraq War, he reportedly wanted to serve in active duty, but it was deemed too risky for a future heir to go to an active war zone.

Queen Camilla might have worked with literacy

Queen Camilla has never spoken of career ambitions before she met King Charles or her first husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles, but it is reported she worked briefly as a receptionist and secretary around the West End and Mayfair.

However, being part of the upper class for most of her life, Camilla's work was more around being an Army Officer's wife and being in society.

That being said, had she never met Charles, perhaps she might have pursued a career with literacy, be it as an English teacher or a writer. Her Majesty has spoken about how important literature is to her, having established The Reading Room, and involving herself with charity work promoting literacy in the young.

Prince Philip might have been a gardener

Much like his children, including King Charles and Princess Anne, Prince Philip was known to be a passionate gardener and lover of nature.

He even found great success in growing truffles before his passing in April 2021.

As quoted in The Times, he was the first person to cultivate black truffles on British soil. Had he pursued this as a career, who knows what innovations he might have unlocked.

A longshot, but King Charles might have been a surfer

King Charles' secret skills are varied - ranging from painting to braving the roaring waves. And, as a young Prince, he was reportedly very proficient at the sport, so he might have found himself teaching others.

He would take his passion for windsurfing around the world, being spotted riding the waves around Cowes on the Isle of Wight and in Australia.

Several of the family members could have been in diplomacy

Various members of the Royal Family can speak several languages, a skill which most definitely could have helped them pursue careers with diplomacy or interpreting.

The range of languages are wide-spanning, also, with Prince William reportedly speaking Swahili and Welsh, and King Charles being fluent in French and can speak German.

Kate Middleton could’ve pursued watersports and diving

Kate Middleton reportedly loves diving and gained the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) open water diving qualification, which allows her to dive up to 30m below the surface. This depth is as far as one can go without the need of a mandatory decompression stop during the ascent before ending the dive, making it even more impressive - and making it plausible she could have pursued a career with water sports.

King Charles might have become a professional musician

Most careers begin with a hobby that gets perfected over time, so it's very plausible that King Charles could have pursued his work with the Cello to become a concert musician or something similar.

He is a known lover of the arts, after all, and he also had a seat in the Trinity College Orchestra as a student.

Meghan Markle could have continued her calligraphy business

This one is less ‘what could’ve been’ and more what once was. As well as an actress, Meghan Markle had a calligraphy business, teaching classes in a store in Los Angeles and working as a freelance artist, having designed the wedding invitations for her friends Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding. Obviously, that took a backseat to her duties as a Duchess, and now her work as a lifestyle guru with her As Ever brand.

Prince William might have been a spy (yes, really)

The Prince of Wales is a pretty impressive title to hold, but Prince William might have eventually had an even juicier one - 007. Okay, we might be slightly stretching this one here, but Prince William did in fact complete a three-week training course with the United Kingdom's Security and Intelligence Agencies (MI5, MI6, and GCHQ) to gain a deeper understanding of their work in protecting national security.

GCHQ’s head of counter-terrorism operations, who went simply by 'David' on record, said, "Having the Duke of Cambridge spend time with our teams was an incredible opportunity. William worked exceptionally hard to embed himself in the team and comfortably held his own among some highly skilled analysts and operators. His royal highness asked some probing questions and demonstrated a real grasp of our mission."

Prince Harry had goals of working in a ski resort

He's gone from a working royal to the head of a charity and has taken on other roles of note, but, had a young Prince Harry had his way, it all could've looked different.

In Spare, the Prince shared, "For several years I'd talked in all seriousness about working at the ski resort in Lech am Arlberg, where Mummy used to take us... Specifically, I wanted to work at the fondue hut in the centre of town, which Mummy loved. That fondue could change your life. (I really was that mad.) But now I told Pa I'd given up the fondue fantasy, and he sighed with relief."

We could've called him the Fonduke of Sussex.

Kate Middleton might have been involved with tennis

The Princess of Wales' love of tennis is legendary - with her yearly appearances at Wimbledon a treat. However, she might have swapped being an ace in the stands for being an ace on the court in another life.

In a memorable moment, she has proven her talents playing with former World Number One Roger Federer and Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu. Per the Telegraph, Emma reportedly described Kate's form as "incredible" and Federer called her serve "amazing."

Kate might have used her university degree to pursue a career in art

Kate Middleton didn't just leave the University of St Andrews with a relationship with Prince William, she left with a degree in Art History.

And it's easy to see how she might have parlayed this into a career. The Princess, after all, is a keen art lover and has been patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

In 2018, she even curated a photography exhibition for the Portrait Gallery.

Princess Diana might have been a nanny

An example of a career path that was already underway, Diana might have continued being a nanny to high-net-worth individuals had she not married King Charles.

Princess Diana's first job contract - where it was revealed she lied about her age - was even sold at auction for over £8000. The contract from Solve Your Problem Ltd - an agency offering nannies to the rich and famous - was completed by Diana in May 1979.

Meghan might have followed in her mother’s footsteps

Had Meghan Markle not married Harry and stayed in Los Angeles, she might have eventually pursued a side hustle in yoga.

Doria, her mother, is a yoga teacher, and Meghan is known to be a massive fan of the practice, even getting Harry involved.

Queen Elizabeth II might have been photographer

A career in photography might not have afforded the late Elizabeth II the same dazzling tiaras and jewellery that being Queen did, but she was a keen amateur who might have pursued it had things been different.

Something she shared with her granddaughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, the late Queen was a lifelong keen photographer. She was given her first camera, a Box Brownie, by her father, King George VI, before the Second World War.