Despite her own grief at losing her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, it’s been revealed that Princess Anne was a pillar of strength and support for all around her immediately following the Queen’s passing.
The Princess Royal has lived a full and interesting life, but among the things you might not know about Princess Anne, the one fact that seems universally known is how hard-working she is.
Such is her reputation that it doesn’t come as a surprise that she was “indispensable” to the family during a time of great sadness, with her brother, King Charles, turning to her for support and help.
In a new book by royal author Robert Hardman, he suggests that it was one of the newly appointed King Charles’s first acts to ask his sister, who recently let slip her sweet nickname for her brother, to take charge of the comings and goings at Balmoral Castle as they all came to terms with the loss of their matriarch and monarch.
“One of the King's first decisions was to ask Princess Anne to take charge of the house party now rapidly expanding at Balmoral Castle,” Hardman wrote in the book, serialised by Mail Online.
“The Princess Royal would prove indispensable over the next few days. She was there when Prince Harry eventually arrived.”
It was the Princess Royal who was there to greet Harry and provide a warm welcome after the Duke of Sussex travelled alone to Balmoral, finding out his grandmother had died by a breaking news alert.
The book recounts, “She greeted him with a hug and escorted him up to the Queen's bedroom, where he was left to pay his respects to his late grandmother. Harry then joined the family dinner downstairs.”
“Neither his father nor his brother was there, however. The King and Queen Camilla had, by now, returned to Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral estate.”
The book does suggest that the King had tried to get in touch with Harry himself, to share the news of the Queen’s death personally, but he was already in the air and unreachable.
When it was confirmed the Queen had passed away, her private secretary put the historic moment in a memo. With less than 20 words, the 70-year reign of Elizabeth II came to an end.
The memo, which is now part of the Royal Archives, read, “Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. She wouldn't have been aware of anything. No pain.”
Princess Anne herself shared some rare comments about being around her mother during her final days in the BBC documentary, Charles III: The Coronation Year.
Speaking on the feature, which aired on BBC One on Boxing Day 2023, the Princess Royal revealed her "relief" after the funeral, and that that her mother was still thinking of others as she knew her time was coming.
Anne said, “There was a moment when she felt that it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral… I think we did try and persuade her that shouldn’t be part of the decision-making process. So I hope she felt that that was right in the end.”
Robert Hardman’s book supports this, as he writes, “Right to the end, she was endearingly conscious of causing unnecessary inconvenience to others.”
-
The Handmaid's Tale: Does June get Hannah back at the end of season 6?It's been June's endgame from the very first moments of The Handmaid's Tale, but will she be reunited with her daughter Hannah at the end of season 6?
-
My decades-long quest for the perfect pillow ends here, but forget what you think you know about memory foamPacked full of tiny pieces of shredded memory foam with a dual-sided cover to keep you cool, this is the next best thing to sleeping on a cloud
-
Princess Anne's hilariously blunt response after Mike Tindall 'got one over' on herPrincess Anne has a famously no-nonsense attitude and has made some memorable quips over the years - including to her son-in-law.
-
Princess Anne goes for tonal teal look on Commonwealth Day as she stays true to style ethosPrincess Anne loves making the most of her wardrobe favourites and her latest look was a celebration of tonal dressing
-
Pattern and colour? Princess Anne's checked handbag and spring green coat pulled it offPrincess Anne just delivered a masterclass in how to make styling prints and bright colours together not at all scary
-
Princess Anne is classic in white and gold skirt suit that oozes the elegance of a Chanel ensembleThe Princess Royal loves going for timeless styles and her skirt suit for a royal reception reminds us of stunning Chanel co-ords
-
Princess Anne wraps up warm in royal fashion staple loved by Kate and CamillaThe Princess Royal re-wore her beautiful camel coat for an engagement and this staple is a must-have for her fellow royals too
-
Princess Anne’s navy pea coat and scarf at the rugby are the perfect combination when being cold isn’t an optionThe Princess Royal never compromises on warmth in the winter and her rugby-watching ensemble was practical and classic
-
Carole Middleton's hilarious quip in her first ever interview was so Princess AnneCarole Middleton gave her first interview in 2018 and she asked a brilliant question that showcased her strong work ethic
-
Princess Anne just wore her signature snazzy sunnies in South Africa for special visitThe Princess Royal is on a solo visit to South Africa and she wore a practical outfit and her iconic sunglasses on the first day
