King Charles continues to undertake his royal duties despite undergoing treatment for cancer. The monarch, who assumed the throne when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away in 2022, has had a very rocky start to his reign, not only because of the many health issues that have struck the Royal Family, but also because of the ongoing strife involving his son, Prince Harry.
While Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton are often the most public members of the Royal Family, they aren’t the only ones. Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, also reportedly plays a crucial part within the Firm, aiding the king in any way she can.
While Charles and Anne might have different opinions about the direction the Royal Family will take moving forward, their love and support for one another will never fade. Recently, Charles was said to have even started crying when his sister gave him an update on her royal future.
King Charles and Princess Anne have enjoyed a close bond their entire lives. With only a 21-month age difference, the brother-sister duo grew up at Buckingham Palace with their parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and have been there one another since childhood.
When Charles took the throne in 2022, Anne was ready to support her brother, and it appears she has no plans to retire. Last year she was in an accident that left her in hospital with a concussion, but the 74-year-old pressed on with her royal duties as soon as she had made a recovery.
Charles and Anne have performed many royal engagements together over the years. Anne famously has a nickname for her brother, too, as she once was heard calling Charles an “old bean.”
Meanwhile, Anne is known to be one of – if not the – hardest-working members of the Royal Family, and was branded a “workhorse” by royal correspondents Roya Nikkhah and Kate Mansey of The Times. The princess recently visited South Africa as part of her royal duties, where she reflected on the accident she suffered last year.
“The Princess Royal says she still recalls nothing about the incident on her Gatcombe Park estate that led to her five-night stay in hospital. She’s been speaking to the press on her trip to South Africa,” as per Gloucestershire Live. “We always call her a workhorse, the work horse of the Royal Family. I don’t think she would mind that description given her love of all things equine and hard work.”
King Charles & Princess Anne’s incredible bond
In a January interview with the Press Association, Anne discussed her royal future, stating that she won’t be preparing to step down from her royal duties in the coming years. She said retiring “isn’t really an option.”
“I don’t think there’s a retirement program on this particular life,” said the Princess Royal, per the BBC. “It really isn’t written in, no.”
Speaking with Fox, several royal experts expressed their feelings about Anne’s dedication to the Crown. King Charles has been known to be dedicated to slimming down the number of working members of the Royal Family, while Anne previously stated she believes that’s a bad call. In an interview that took place before Charles’s coronation, Anne argued that reducing the monarchy would be difficult.
“Well, I think the ‘slimmed down’ was said in a day when there were a few more people around. It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I would say. I’m not quite sure what else we can do,” Anne told CBC.
Besides Queen Elizabeth’s passing, several other senior royals have left their official duties in recent years. Harry and Meghan famously departed the Royal Family for good, while Prince Andrew was forced to abandon his position as a senior working royal after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
In the interview, Princess Anne was further questioned as to whether “conversations about relevance” occur within the Royal Family. She replied: “There will be everywhere. It’s not a conversation that I would necessarily have. I think it’s perfectly true that it is a moment where you need to have that discussion.”
Princess Anne’s lifelong dedication to the Royal Family
Anne added: “But I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long-term stability that is actually quite hard to come by any other way.”
“We as a family see ourselves there to support that role. What we do, we hope, contributes to the monarchy and the way in which it can convey continuity, of not just interest, but of service, of understanding, the way that people in communities want to live their lives.”
Anne concluded: “And I think so often we get the chance to see communities and the people who do things really well and are very generous with their time in a way that, if you look at the media, you tend not to get that impression.”
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox that because the monarchy has been forced to slim down in recent years, Anne’s quote about stepping down not being an option is made all the truer.
“How can Princess Anne retire? The slimmed-down monarchy needs her,” Chard said. “Her quick mind is perfect for her work with the 300+ charities, organizations and military regiments in the U.K. and overseas. She gives great value to all and has done so since her first public engagement at age 18.”
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“She is back hitting the trail again”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams added: “Princess Anne has made it clear she disagrees with the concept, associated with King Charles, of a slimmed-down monarchy. Her point was that it was already slimmed down without the Sussexes and Prince Andrew. It is certainly no surprise that the member of the Royal Family who usually is the hardest-working royal has no plans to retire. Senior working members of the royal family rarely do.”
Princess Anne’s accident last year wasn’t the only setback for the Royal Family in 2024. King Charles received a cancer diagnosis in early 2024, and in March, Kate Middleton announced that she was also suffering with the disease.
While Kate is now cancer-free, Charles’ cancer treatment is set to continue in 2025. Exactly how many of his royal duties he will be able to take on in the coming months is still unclear; however, he appears to be in a very good mood.
Prince William described 2024 as “brutal” and probably “the hardest year” of his life. In Princess Anne’s case, getting back to work was crucial. Speaking with the NY Post, royal expert Ian Pelham Turner stated that Anne is the most reliable Royal Family member and was determined to “carry on” and get back to work as soon as possible after her concussion.
“When she had her unfortunate accident with a horse, many pundits thought this would be the end of her service,” Pelham Turner said.
“But miraculously, after taking an absence of leave to recover, she is back hitting the trail again as strong as ever. The shiny example [of] this work ethic was her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. She has fulfilled many roles with her brother, the king, mainly out of action.”
Princess Anne “determined not to retire”
The royal expert continued: “She is a no-nonsense royal who does not suffer fools gladly. She is an inspiration to other royals, setting the bar very high on work ethics.”
Helena Chard went on to describe Princess Anne as a “trusted” family member who “offers sound advice to the family.” Foremost, she has taken Princess Charlotte under her wing.
“They share a close bond, have a lot in common and have fun together. Princess Charlotte is [also] likely to inherit Princess Anne’s title The Princess Royal,” she said. “Anne knows only too well what will be expected of Charlotte in years to come. Anne sees her younger self in Charlotte. She is the perfect person to train and steer Charlotte in the right direction. Charlotte will be her brother Prince George’s right-hand woman, just as Princess Anne has been to her brother King Charles.”
So, what makes Princess Anne the hardest-working Royal Family member? British royal expert Hilary Fordwich said it’s thanks to her her late parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
“Anne is determined not to retire,” Fordwich explained. “None of the young royals dare mess with ‘Auntie Anne.’ The younger royals could learn a lot from her dedication to duty. It was what [made] Queen Elizabeth II so popular.”
King Charles ‘broke down in tears’ when discussing the future with Princess Anne
King Charles and Princess Anne’s bond is for life, but their connection naturally extends to more than lending support as siblings. Anne has always been Charles’ closest and most trusted confidant and is known not to hold back her feelings or thoughts when speaking to him. That includes not only personal matters but professional matters too.
While King Charles is the reigning monarch, he is said to have a soft spot for his sister. As a brother, he wants what is best for her, and recently a new claim surfaced that he had broken down in tears over a chat they shared.
Speaking with Women’s Day Magazine, an anonymous royal aide said Charles had mixed emotions about Anne’s decision to continue her royal duties. Although he is “overjoyed” about her not stepping down, he also “can’t bear” the thought that she might feel obligated to continue working because of his cancer diagnosis.
“Camilla might be the love of his life, but Anne’s his greatest and most reliable confidante,” the aide said, as reported by Express. “Anne’s the only one with the ability to tell him uncomfortable truths and pull him back from any emotional distractions.”
“The conversation they had about that was unusually emotional for Charles and he did break down in tears over her lifelong loyalty to him,” the source added. “In private, he is simply overjoyed that she’ll be there with him until the end.”
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