Princess Anne attends reception for St John Ambulance in London

Princess Anne has been praised by fans as a ‘formidable force’ after she attended a reception for St John Ambulance in London last week. 

The Princess Royal, 75, travelled to Clerkenwell in central London for the reception marking 40 years of the first aid charity’s National Cadet of the Year Competition on April 10. 

In her role as St John Ambulance’s Youth Commandant-in-Chief, Anne was introduced to award winners from across four decades of the competition, including this year’s honouree Emily England. 

Photos posted on the Royal Family’s Instagram showed a smiling Anne, who was dressed in her official uniform, greeting charity officials and cadets and posing for pictures. 

Many cadets have since ‘progressed to careers in healthcare, medicine and the emergency services’, the caption highlighted the impact of the award. 

Gushing fans declared Anne ‘looked beautiful’ in the pictures while praising her commitment to The Firm in the comments section. 

One person wrote: ‘The Princess Royal is a formidable force. The Royal Family is fortunate to have her.’ 

‘The Princess Royal is amazing,’ another added. ‘Love how she encourages such an important group.’ 

A video of Anne arriving for the reception was later posted online as several Facebook users noticed a striking resemblance to her mother, the late Queen.

One person wrote ‘she looks so much like her late mother’ Elizabeth II, while another suggested ‘Her mum will be so proud’.

Anne was described as ‘fabulous’ in every way as one person declared the Princess Royal has ‘always been a class act’. 

Earlier this month, Anne visited the King’s Royal Hussars (KRH) in Salisbury as part of her role as Senior Colonel of the Household Division.   

The Princess Royal was appointed the key ceremonial role by her brother King Charles in 2023 – and has shown an unwavering commitment to the position ever since.

During her two-hour visit to the Salisbury Plain Training Area, Anne spoke with troops about their extensive four-week training programme while also getting stuck in with exercises related to tanks, infantry and drones.

She also visited specialist stands displaying equipment that the KRH use and received a briefing on the CEMA (Cyber Electro Magnetic Activity) capability being trialled by the rest of the Field Army.

Dressed in a camouflage uniform and sunglasses, Anne appeared in good spirits as she received an update on the KRH’s Iron Cyclone exercises since her last visit in 2024.

The Princess Royal has built up a strong association with the KRH for over 50 years, having first become Colonel-in-Chief when the regiment was initially created in 1969.

Lieutenant Colonel Dave Welford MBE, Commanding Officer KRH, described Anne’s visit to the British Army site as an ‘absolute privilege’, and added that ‘her continued interest in engaging with the regiment means a huge amount to all our soldiers’.

Anne, who is often regarded as the ‘hardest working royal’, was given her esteemed role by King Charles after Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth died and the new monarch became Colonel in Chief of the Household Division’s regiments.

The position was previously held by her father, Prince Philip, and seeks to bridge the gap between the reigning monarch and the individual regiments of the Household Division.

The Princess Royal, who now plays an integral role in ceremonial duties, is already Colonel of the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals.

Her new position was confirmed by Buckingham Palace in 2023 after her visit to the barracks to thank the military members who have been working through the night to ensure smooth proceedings on Saturday.

It comes after a busy few weeks for the Princess Royal – with Anne frequenting numerous Six Nations matches in the last few weeks.

Likewise, hard-working Anne is also expected to play a ‘pivotal’ role in keeping The Firm afloat amid the scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

As the Royal Family navigate the scandal, they will be looking to their down-to-earth and hardworking ‘trump card’ – the Princess Royal, 75, who is ‘synonymous with dedication to duty’, said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.

Mr Fitzwilliams previously told the Daily Mail: ‘She relishes a high workload and usually undertakes the most royal engagements of any royal. However, she prefers to avoid the media circus that follows the most high-profile royals.

‘She is absolutely pivotal in keeping public support for the monarchy.’

The royal expert added that a wise and insightful Anne may likely be able to assist her brother, King Charles, with his handling of the crisis.

He explained: ‘What Anne can offer King Charles, who reportedly has been under pressure from William over his handling of this crisis, is down to earth advice.’

Mr Fitzwilliams noted that the royal siblings may ‘not always agree’, but says that in such unprecedented circumstances ‘it is pivotal that Charles listens to views which differ or are opposed to his own’.

Over the course of the last few weeks, the stoic Princess Royal has routinely maintained a brave face – while also delighting royal fans with her quick wit and humble nature during her public engagements.

And as calls for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to do ‘the decent thing’ and remove himself from the royal line of succession mount, one may begin to question where Anne could fall amid a possible royal restructure.

As Mr Fitzwilliams noted, the Princess Royal is currently 18th to the throne, given that the altered rules of succession in 2013 ‘unfortunately were not applied retroactively’.

‘If they had been she would have been 5th behind William and his family and the public would undoubtedly welcome that,’ he explained.

The public’s insatiable love for Anne has certainly shown little sign of wavering, with royal fans often taking to social media to praise the ‘humble’ and ‘class act’ princess.

According to Mr Fitzwilliams, Anne’s ‘no-nonsense approach’ is her essential attribute that has truly captivated royal fans.

He explained: ‘She relishes a high workload and usually undertakes the most royal engagements of any royal. However, she prefers to avoid the media circus that follows the most high-profile royals.

‘She reportedly does her own make-up and sometimes drives herself to engagements. She is also famed for her unstuffy approach and often recycles outfits.’

Mr Fitzwilliams also noted that while Anne holds the Princess Royal title, the down-to-earth royal is ‘almost invariably referred to as Princess Anne’ and also chose not to bestow royal titles on her children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.