Hardworking Anne’s special role at the late Queen’s centenary,
Hardworking Princess Anne is set to play a special role in the late Queen’s upcoming centenary, as the Royal Family remembers Britain’s longest-standing monarch.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are leading tributes to the beloved royal on April 21, which would have been Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday.
Their Majesties will pay a visit to the British Museum to see the final model of the future Elizabeth II memorial then will host a reception at Buckingham Palace to share memories of the Queen.
However, Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne, is set to play a rather unique role in remembering the life and legacy of her beloved mother, who passed away in September 2022.
To mark the the late Queen’s birthday, Anne, 75, will be responsible for opening The Queen Elizabeth II Garden in London.
The peaceful two-acre garden, transformed from a disused plant nursery, is set to commemorate the life of Elizabeth and her ‘unwavering loyalty and service, with each end offering a moment of quiet reflection’.
While serving as a key place to remember the late Queen, it is hoped the tranquil green space will provide ‘significant benefits to nature’ and a suitable place for Londoners seeking a moment of calm.
Filled with plants that held particular poignance to the late Queen, the garden will feature a pond, viewing platform and flower garden and cost an estimated £5million to complete, funded by The Royal Parks charity.
Meanwhile, the King is also set to become Royal Patron of the independent Queen Elizabeth Trust will offer grants for UK communities to develop and regenerate shared spaces.
It is one of three projects honouring Elizabeth II’s legacy that are being formally unveiled on her birthday.
Throughout her 70-year reign, the Queen became well-known for her amusing one-liners which appear to have rubbed off on her only daughter.
Anne and the Queen were also said to have shared an incredibly close bond, with the Princess Royal later sharing how she felt ‘fortunate’ to have shared the last 24 hours of her ‘dearest Mother’s life’ prior to her death at Balmoral.
According to Anne’s husband Sir Timothy, the Princess Royal has always shared her beloved mother’s quick wit and heartwarming ability to make royal engagements more entertaining.
Speaking in 2020 on ITV documentary Anne: The Princess Royal at 70, Sir Tim said: The similarities with her (Princess Anne’s) father are much talked about, but what is less spoken about is the similarities with her mother, the Queen.’
‘The common theme is humour and fun,’ he added.
In Her Majesty’s final days, Anne stood by her side and later shared how it had been ‘an honour and a privilege’ to accompany the Queen on her final journeys as she travelled with the monarch’s coffin back to London.
In an emotional public statement, Anne said she was ‘fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest mother’s life’.
She said the love and respect shown to the Queen on her journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh and on to London had been ‘both humbling and uplifting’.
Anne also thanked the nation for the ‘support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles’ as he takes on his duties as King.
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She ended her statement with the words: ‘To my mother, The Queen, thank you.’
Her tribute was shared to the Royal Family’s Instagram account along with a photo of Anne and the Queen, which was first released to mark the late monarch’s 90th birthday in 2016.
The heartwarming image showed the mother and daughter sat on a sofa in the White Drawing Room of Windsor Castle.
Since her mother’s death, Anne has taken on a pivotal role in the Royal Family, while often praised by royal fans for her impeccable work ethic and down-to-earth nature.
Royal expert Richard 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 it is certainly reminiscent of the late Queen, who was routinely praised for her dedication to a life of public service and dry sense of humour.
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.
According to Mr Fitzwilliams, Anne’s ‘no-nonsense approach’ is her essential attribute that has truly captivated royal fans.
And 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.
‘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,’ he added.
