Overqualified? Princess Anne, with a lifetime of royal experience, makes a first-class deputy to the King
Following Charles's accession to the throne, Princess Anne has stepped up to her supporting role with aplomb.

In recent months, she has been called on to buttress the remainder of the family – fortunately, her capabilities are very well proven



Princess Anne has long been celebrated for her quick wit and relentless work ethic. The unique role of stepping up and supporting, standing out and standing at the sidelines has been admirably executed by the Princess Royal over the course of a lifetime.



Though not destined to be queen, Anne has never shied away from royal responsibilities. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II was a great public and private loss for the British monarchy; members of the royal family had to grieve whilst assuming new titles and taking on vast responsibility. King Charles’s position was clear from birth: he was to inherit the throne. Anne’s role has always been less clear cut, but the period following the Queen’s passing has seen the Princess Royal carve out a clear, consistent and indispensable role for herself. That role was again been tested – and proven – during the period of concern around King Charles's prostate issues. Now, following his cancer diagnosis, Anne will be called on in two directions: both to support her brother personally and to help lead the royal family publicly.


Former BBC Royal Correspondent Wesley Kerr told Tatler that Princess Anne has proved that ‘she can be relied on for compete discretion and unconditional love.’ According to Kerr, Anne has a unique combination of understanding - for ‘who and what has shaped Charles’ – as well as a real desire for him to succeed. This was symbolically represented during her role at her brother’s coronation, where she attended as Gold Stick in Waiting. Considered a great honour, the role is essentially as a ceremonial bodyguard to the incoming sovereign. In doing so, the Princess Royal manifested and projected her ability to protect and support Charles through choppy waters.

Now his confidence in her will feel more important than ever, as Charles endures what will surely feel like one of the greatest tests of his life. Though Buckingham Palace has put out stiff-upper-lipped messaging (the palace has said that the king remains ‘wholly positive’ and that he ‘looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible’) there can be no doubt that any kind of cancer diagnosis forces an individual to confront their mortality and focuses the mind on those nearest and those intertwined with one's legacy.


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