A 93-year-old former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret has revealed she was left utterly astonished by a personal gesture from King Charles, decades after her official service to the Royal Family ended.
A Royal Invitation Decades in the Making
Lady Anne Glenconner, whose long career within the royal circle is detailed in her new memoir, Manners and Mischief: An A-Z of a Life Lived Well, attended the late Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. She recently expressed her profound honour at being invited to King Charles's own coronation in 2023.
Speaking to Hello! magazine, Lady Anne explained the significance. "He could only invite 120 or so close friends, so I was very honoured to be asked," she said. The intimate nature of the guest list made the invitation particularly meaningful for the nonagenarian.
An Evening of Relaxation and Celebration
The experience, she noted, was wonderfully different from the formality of 1953. "And of course, it was wonderful, because I could relax," Lady Anne recalled. Her connection with the King was warmly reinforced just days after the ceremony when she was invited to dinner.
"I had dinner with him three days later," she shared. "I went in and he said: 'How was it Anne?' And I said 'Magnificent!'" This personal touch from the monarch clearly left a lasting impression on the former royal employee.
Living Life 'With a Bang' at 93
Far from slowing down, Lady Anne declared she is currently having the time of her life. Her memoir follows her bestselling 2019 book, Lady in Waiting, which candidly discussed her 54-year marriage.
She recounted a whirlwind of recent activities, including a trip to Vienna and attending the Queen's Reading Room Festival at Chatsworth. There, she enjoyed a champagne-fuelled dinner seated next to the late author Jilly Cooper. "I couldn't believe it that just a few days later she died," Lady Anne reflected on the poignant moment.
Her reflections add to a growing collection of insider accounts of royal life, with other authors like Andrew Lownie also detailing past tensions, such as Princess Margaret's alleged disapproval of Sarah, Duchess of York.
