And as the Prince of Wales takes on more royal responsibilities, he is also stepping back from some of his charitable work as he approaches his 70th birthday.

It has been revealed that Prince Charles attended 546 engagements last year, more than any other royal family member, as the Queen, 91, scales back her state duties.

And as his outings were stepped up, his charitable donations decreased - with the total grants handed out to good causes backed by the heir to the throne having more than halved in a year from £7.7million in 2016 to £3.1million in the 12 months to March.

A Clarence House spokesman said Prince Charles had decided to "review" his charities in the run-up to his 70th birthday later this year and the decline reflects his increasing workload in supporting the monarch.

The spokesman added: “The approach of the Prince’s 70th birthday provided a sensible opportunity to review his charities to ensure that they continue to deliver the maximum benefit for those people they were set up to help.

“The review was also designed to ensure the Prince’s involvement was at the right level and had the right focus.

“This will ensure that the charities become sustainable with less necessity for the engagement of HRH on a day-to-day basis, and will contribute in building a lasting legacy of his philanthropic work.”

The Queen has been slowly scaling back her duties over the past few years, and has cut the number of official events she goes to by 11 per cent - down from 332 to 296.

Prince Philip, 96, retired from royal duties in August - but the loyal consort has racked up a whopping 22,219 solo engagements since Her Majesty became Queen in 1952.

Charles has appeared in public more frequently during 2017 to support his mother, meaning some his foundation's major beneficiaries have seen a decline in monetary support.

Building Community had a cut in funding from £1.6million in 2016 to £545,000, according to Companies House.

And the Royal Drawing School's grant also took a cut, dropping from £439,000 to £93,000.

READ MORE: Will Prince Charles be king? Or will he step aside for William after the Queen?

Charles has been first-in-line to the throne for 65 years, more than any other heir in UK history.

Should he become king, the 68-year-old Prince will become the oldest-ever British monarch on accession.

The Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle has suggested that Charles could pass the throne straight to William or abdicate after a short reign “as a means of expressing regret that he had to wait so long”.

Others have proposed that Charles might make way for his son because of his own middling approval ratings and to help preserve the monarchy’s future.