New portrait to mark Princess Anne's 75th birthday

Telegraph

15 hours ago

The Princess Royal has posed for her 75th birthday portrait with a sparkle in her eye and the flicker of a smile.
Princess Anne, who is celebrating the milestone on Friday, was pictured by John Swannell, her favoured photographer, outside her Gatcombe Park home.
Mr Swannell also photographed the Princess on her 40th, 50th and 60th birthdays.
In keeping with her no-nonsense reputation, she has eschewed birthday parties and public commemorations, preferring instead to host more than 100 of her charities at Buckingham Palace in June.
She spent the occasion shaking the hands of as many of the 200-plus guests as possible, thanking them for their work.
The Princess is said to be spending the day sailing around the Western Isles of Scotland with Vice-Adml Sir Tim Laurence, her husband.
The official portrait, which was taken last month, shows her wearing a clean-lined royal blue dress with a contrasting white collar, matching cuffs and white-buttoned central trim.
The Princess, who is known for re-wearing outfits sometimes decades later, much like her elder brother the King, was pictured in the same dress at The King's Foundation Awards at St James's Palace in June.
She appears relaxed in the image, with her hair self-styled in her signature bouffant, as she rests her hand on a stone windowsill.
The Princess has regularly been named the hardest working royal, carrying out more public engagements than any of her family members with little attention or fanfare.
She spent her last working day before her birthday visiting a Liverpool stable, a Cheshire oat miller and an animal feed factory.
This week, charity leaders have praised their patron, hailing the Princess's commitment and empathy.
Tanya Curry, the chief executive of MND, described the Princess as 'very strategic in her thinking, but has a real ability to make it feel very personable for people and that it really matters'.
She added: 'I think she's incredibly kind, and actually just her human approach comes across to people. She really understands the audience... she asks the most insightful questions, and she asks you the right questions.'
Referring to an upcoming private audience with the Princess, Moazzam Malik, the chief executive of Save the Children, said: 'We know each other well… we'll talk about the work that we're trying to do as an organisation, our strategy, our new strategy for the next two-year period, the challenges that we face as a sector.
'I'm sure she'll have good advice for me, rooted in her 55 years of partnership with us. And I will be listening carefully, because I don't have any other colleagues who have been around for quite so long.'
In June 2024, the Princess was rushed to hospital after she was believed to have been kicked by a horse. She was treated for concussion and minor head injuries in an intensive care unit, spending five nights at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Returning to royal duties less than three weeks later, she admitted to having no memory of the incident, but said she now views every day as a 'bonus'.