LONDON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince Andrew made 309 foreign visits in 2004 -- compared with 179 the previous year -- and made a total of 581 appearances.
The 44-year-old prince is getting close to competing with his sister, Princess Anne, long described as the hardest working British royal.
The princess made 599 visits, 131 were overseas, in 2004, Hellomagazine.com reported Monday.
Most of the prince's trips, especially his foreign trips to Japan, Quatar, Oman, Russia and Bahrain; were made in his capacity as an official trade ambassador for Britain.
"He has never put a foot wrong in all the work he has done for us," said a spokesman for the U.K. Trade and Investment, the governmental body in charge of promoting British industry.
"He is a first-class diplomat. When he started in 2001 it was a steep learning curve, but he's brought management skills with him and he's learned very, very quickly."
