Princess Anne has taken on the primary role of escorting her mother's coffin, fulfilling the late Queen's wish that her only daughter should lead the final journey. This duty reflects Anne's reputation for hard work and service, as well as the practical burdens faced by King Charles in the early days of his reign.
Within 24 hours of the Queen's death, Anne was at Balmoral preparing to accompany the coffin on its six-hour journey to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. She performed a deep curtsey as the coffin entered the Edinburgh palace, showing visible emotion. Later, she walked behind the pallbearers to St Giles' Cathedral and became the first female member of the Royal Family to take part in the traditional vigil, standing solemnly in her honorary Royal Navy ceremonial uniform.
Anne has long been one of the hardest-working royals. In 2021 she undertook 387 official engagements, two more than the then-Prince of Wales. She has completed almost 500 overseas visits, including 49 to Germany, and is patron of 300 charities, with her association with Save the Children dating back to 1970. Even during the pandemic, she visited a mobile testing centre to raise its profile.
Her no-nonsense attitude, inherited from her father, was evident during a botched 1974 kidnap attempt. When the assailant tried to take her, she reportedly told him, 'Not bloody likely.' She later recalled being 'scrupulously polite' during the incident. Her formal title of Princess Royal, awarded in 1987, is considered a symbol of her valued work within the Royal Family.
Anne has also balanced hard work with independence. In 1971, she won a gold medal at the European eventing championships and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Five years later, she competed for Team GB in the Montreal Olympics. She later said that sport was a way of proving something independent of her family. She also passed her heavy goods vehicle test to drive horse lorries without royal retinue.
