New picture of Princess Anne released to mark her 75th birthday | Royal | News

Her commitment, wisdom, determination, and wicked sense of humour are just some of the things that make the Princess Royal so special, according to those who have worked closely with her over the decades. Anne, who is regularly named Britain’s hardest-working royal, will turn 75 on Friday, but the no-fuss royal wants to keep things simple and celebrate privately.

There will be no official fanfare or major public celebrations to mark her birthday, as she has asked to use the occasion to focus solely on the work of her patronages. But Buckingham Palace did manage to persuade her to release a new official photograph to mark the occasion. 

Having previously been against the idea, Anne posed for a photo with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, ahead of the State Banquet hosted at Windsor Castle for French President Emmanuel Macron last month. 

Taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson inside the impressive royal residence, the smiling couple stand side by side in their formal dress.

Anne is wearing a white gown with a lace trim and bolero jacket, accessorised with the striking Festoon tiara, which she wore in her 23rd birthday portrait, and matching diamond necklace and earrings. 

Pinned to her jacket was the Royal Family Order of both King Charles and Queen Elizabeth, and the Garter and Thistle stars, while a diamond ribbon brooch was pinned to her blue Garter sash. 

On her right, her husband wore white tie, with his Companion of the Order of the Bath neck decoration and a bar of seven medals reflecting his 37 years of military service.  

Earlier this year, the princess chose to spotlight her charities instead – two months ahead of her milestone birthday on August 15. With over 400 patronages to her name, Anne asked to host as many of the organisations as possible for a special gathering at Buckingham Palace.

“This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about,” says a Palace source. “She didn’t want to do anything for her birthday but bring her charities together to hear more about their work and how she can help them.”

On June 5, she spent more than two hours with the 200-plus charity representatives, listening to their perspectives on the sector’s challenges and the opportunities and risks presented by new technologies. 

But while the King’s sister wanted to focus solely on the work of her patronages, those who have worked alongside her lauded her invaluable support over the years. 

The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is one of Anne’s longest-standing patronages, having become Patron in 1971 and becoming President in 1985, and its CEO is full of praise for his royal boss.

Michael Bishop, RDA’s CEO, hailed her as “incredibly personable and very determined,” noting that her wit helps people to relax when they meet her for the first time.

“She’s the first person to put everyone at ease with a quick one liner,” he said, adding: “That comes back to how personable she is, it’s based on quite a great wit, a great sense of humour.”

But it’s her stoic dedication to duty that impresses Ms Bishop most, as he recalls the princess’s determination to attend last year’s RDA National Championships despite her recent head injury. 

“It’s a really big event in the RDA calendar,” he said. “It’s one of two moments where we bring the Federation together and that clearly wasn’t lost on Her Royal Highness. She wanted to be there and come what may, she was going to be with us, and that was so powerful, because it was clearly a determined effort to be there as the first visit back.”

Less than three weeks after she was treated in intensive care for a minor head injury and concussion, Anne presented awards and met the winners at the event, with a bruise under her left eye serving as a reminder of her ordeal. 

Her incredible stamina has also left a lasting impression on Tanya Curry, CEO of the MND Association, of which Anne has been a patron of since 2008. 

“How is she retaining all of this and speaking to all these people and going from one to the other, and it’s just seamless,” she said. “The kind of stamina that she brings to that mentally and physically, I think, is amazing.”

Ms Curry recalled an event last year when Anne “climbed the stairs like a mountain goat” after she was asked whether she would prefer to take the lift. 

Despite being almost a decade over retirement age, clocking up an impressive 474 engagements last year, Anne remains at the top of her game and really engages with the people she meets. 

“As our royal patron, she’s just so committed to the community,” says Ms Curry. “The work that she does allows people to really feel she understands, she empathises, but she can really see the bigger picture. 

“Very strategic in her thinking, but has a real ability to make it feel very personable for people and that it really matters, and that their journey is almost the only journey that she’s interested in.”

But Anne goes further than just listening to what people have to say; she does so with care and compassion.

“I think she’s incredibly kind, and actually, just her human approach comes across to people,” Ms Curry continued. 

“You feel like you’re talking to someone that you know and who really cares and who really understands. 

“I think my other one would be wise. She’s very diplomatic with how wise she is, and she knows her subject.”

In her 55 years as patron of Save the Child, Anne has visited more than 30 countries with the charity and helped them to fundraise 10s of millions of pounds. 

“Obviously, as a royal, she’s not a political figure, but her soft support for us is very inspiring for us as an organisation and for our collaborators and partners,” says the charity’s CEO, Moazzam Malik.

This week Anne has traveled to Dublin to meet with President Michael Higgins and officially open the 150th Dublin Horse Show, but her birthday is expected to be a quiet affair wth no major public celebration. 

Instead, the Royal Family will lead the nation as it marks the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, with Anne and her husband not due to participate in the commemorative events.