'I joined Princess Anne on royal tour and couldn't believe what she did'
A charity boss has admitted that she was once left struggling to "keep up" with Princess Anne on a royal tour. Tanya Curry, the chief executive of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a charity for which the Princess Royal has served as ambassador since 2008, shared the inspiring story ahead of the Princess Royal's 75th birthday on August 15.
Despite her 75 years, Anne shows no sign of slowing down. Known for her incredible work ethic, she famously completed the highest number of royal engagements in 2024, a staggering 474, even outstripping King Charles ' 372.
Indeed, her efforts have continued into 2025 with seven overseas trips so far, including Ireland, South Africa, Barbados, and Belgium, and it seems that her "stamina" hasn't gone unnoticed by Tanya.
She recounted one especially noteworthy occasion that left her "trying to keep up" when Anne visited the West Yorkshire rugby team, Leeds Rhinos, with the late player Rob Burrow and his family.
She told Hello! magazine: "The stamina that she brings, mentally and physically, is amazing. I asked her if she wanted to take the lift or the stairs. She was up the stairs, as a security guard described, like a mountain goat.
"I was trying to keep up with her and have a conversation and not be out of breath, and it was all just in her stride. She walks into a room and lights it up."
Also known as the Firm's hardest-working royal, as well as the King's "most trusted lieutenant", it's not just Anne's work ethic that has landed her praise.
In addition, r eports have indicate d that those who know the senior royal celebrate Anne for her "wicked wit", practical approach to issues, and "not always agreeing" with what others say.
Meanwhile, Roya Nikkah, the Royal Editor for The Sunday Times, told the Royals with Roya and Kate podcast last month that Anne takes a "no-frills" approach to her birthdays.
In fact, Roya revealed that the Princess Royal has even "cancelled meetings" to avoid discussing birthday plans and even has a certain "policy" when it comes to these occasions.
She explained: "Anne's policy is: 'I will do things for my birthdays that have a zero, but I won't do things for my birthdays that have a five.'"
As for stepping away from her duties in the future, Roya claims that Anne has reportedly told the people closest to her about the age when she hopes to "start winding down" and even when she plans to "step back completely".
Roya added: "I was told that she's told her team, 'I'm going to start winding down a little bit at 80 in five years' time, and then I want to step back completely at 90.'"
Roya and Kate Mansey, the Royal Editor of The Times, noted that Anne could be adhering to a timescale similar to another member of her family, the late Prince Philip, who stepped away from public life "completely at 96".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Extremely rare' Barbara Hepworth sculpture to be saved after £3.8m is raised
An 'extremely rare' sculpture by late artist Barbara Hepworth is to be saved after an art gallery raised £3.8 million. The 1943 work entitled Sculpture With Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue And Red had been in private ownership and was placed under a temporary export bar by the UK Government, to give a British museum the chance to acquire it, after it was deemed too important to leave the UK. The sculpture will go on permanent display at The Hepworth Wakefield, in the artist's West Yorkshire hometown, after the art gallery led a fundraising drive which saw donations from more than 2,800 members of the public. Olivia Colling, interim director and chief executive at The Hepworth Wakefield, said: 'Barbara Hepworth often talked about her need to be part of a community and its proactive development. 'We think she would have been delighted that so many people have come together to enable her work to be part of a public art collection which can be experienced and enjoyed by so many. 'We are enormously grateful for the generosity people have shown in helping us to bring this extremely rare and important work to Wakefield, the UK's capital of sculpture.' Fundraising also saw the gallery given a National Lottery Heritage Fund donation worth £1.89 million, as well as an Art Fund grant worth £750,000. Art Fund director Jenny Waldman said: 'Art Fund is proud to have led this urgent campaign with The Hepworth Wakefield, rallying public and philanthropic support to keep the sculpture in the UK in a public museum. 'It follows a long history of successful Art Fund appeals – from The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I to Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage and Joshua Reynolds' Portrait of Mai – each made possible by the collective belief that art should be for everyone. 'We're deeply grateful to the many individuals and funders whose generosity made this possible – including our national art pass members, whose support enabled us to commit an exceptional grant of £750,000.' Sculpture With Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue And Red is one of a small number of wooden carvings made by Hepworth during the 1940s and one of the first major wood carvings she made using strings. Hepworth is considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century and is often credited with defining modern sculpture work. She was born in January 1903 and died in an accidental fire at her studio in 1975.
Daily Mirror
19 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Princess Anne's 'important relationship' with King Charles shown in two-word nickname
Princess Anne has a two-word nickname for King Charles that shows the 'importance' of their relationship, with a clip from the King's coronation showing an touching moment between the siblings Princess Anne has a cheeky two-word nickname for her brother, King Charles, that highlights the close bond they share. This revelation comes after a candid exchange between the siblings was caught on camera during behind-the-scenes footage from the King's coronation. The Royal Family were gathered in the Buckingham Palace Centre Room, awaiting their appearance to greet the public. The room reportedly looked like a "building site" at the time due to extensive renovations being carried out as part of a whopping £369m project to refurbish the palace complex. Robert Hardman, an author whose team was filming the royals as they prepared to step onto the balcony, noted that this brief moment before their public appearance was the first opportunity they had to "chat" all day. The 76-year-old King had been crowned at Westminster Abbey earlier that day, followed by a state procession to Buckingham Palace. In the footage, which features in the documentary Charles II: The Coronation Year, Princess Anne is seen entering the Centre Room and greeting her brother with a simple "Hello Old Bean". The King responds with laughter before warmly greeting his sister. Hardman, the documentary's lead, shared: "There was this sweet moment as the Royal Family were gathering to go out on the balcony for the big wave and the fly past, and actually the palace was a building site at the time, it was the east wing, it was chaos, and everything was held up with bits of tape. There were floorboards covered in chipboard, and everyone was treading carefully to make sure they didn't snag a robe on a stray nail or whatever. "And then they came into the centreroom, which is the room that comes onto the balcony and it was the first time they had all had the chance to chat after the service. And the Princess comes in, sees the King, and says, 'Hello Old Bean'. "It's so English but it's that relationship. It's so important for the sovereign to have that sort of [relationship], particularly for a king. King George V was always terribly fond of his sister, it was a very endearing connection." The King has always been said to have had a close bond with his sister. While Anne is just under two years younger than the monarch, there is more than a decade separating the King and Prince Andrew, with Prince Edward 15 years younger than Charles. Hannah Furniss, The Telegraph's Royal Editor, discussed Charles and Anne's relationship in a YouTube video of the publication's Royal Insight, stating: "They've grown up together, they spent their childhood together when the Queen and Prince Philip were travelling a lot. They're very close." She added: "They have this very warm relationship and she is probably in a better position than anyone to give him advice, give him a bit of sympathy when he needs it, give him a bit of a pep talk." A Royal insider previously revealed to Woman's Day Magazine that Anne serves as the King's "confidante". They said: "Camilla might be the love of his life, but Anne's his greatest and most reliable confidante. "Anne's the only one with the ability to tell him uncomfortable truths and pull him back from any emotional distractions." Former BBC correspondent Wesley Kerr believes the King depends on Anne for "complete discretion". He said: "She is the person The King has known is wise, intelligent, and incredibly plugged into the modern United Kingdom. She understands completely who and what has shaped him and is eager for him to succeed: for the sake of their beloved mum and dad and for country and Commonwealth."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Peaky Blinders creator's epic upcoming Netflix series gets thrilling update
One of Netflix's most highly anticipated new series from the creator of Peaky Blinders has just been given an exciting update Netflix's epic new historical drama, House of Guinness, has finally shared a first look to eager fans. From Peaky Blinders scribe Steven Knight, the new drama follows the rise of the Guinness family during the 19th Century to become the iconic brewery that's become a mainstay in pubs across the globe. The streamer has now finally released the first images of the series' star-studded cast as well as confirming the date it will premiere. House of Guinness will officially launch on Thursday, 25th September. A synopsis reads: 'House of Guinness explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe's most famous and enduring dynasties - the Guinness Family. 'Set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, the story begins immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery, and the far-reaching impact of his will on the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the phenomenon that is Guinness." The drama's stellar cast is led by Masters of the Air's Anthony Boyle as Arthur Guinness and Disclaimer's Louis Partridge as Edward Guinness. Anne and Benjamin are portrayed by Emily Fairn of The Responder fame and Normal People's Fionn O'Shea, respectively. Plus, Happy Valley 's acclaimed star James Norton, Game of Thrones icon Jack Gleeson and Outlander's Jessica Reynolds will take on key supporting roles. The rest of the cast includes Dervla Kirwan, Niamh McCormack, Danielle Galligan, Ann Skelly, Seamus O'Hara, Michael McElhatton, David Wilmot, Michael Colgan, Hilda Fay and Elizabeth Daulau. Netflix 's first-look stills promise a sprawling and immersive look at 19th Century Dublin that's well up to the standard of Knight's previous smash-hit, Peaky Blinders. The series is directed by Tom Shankland and Mounia Akl and penned by Knight. The acclaimed showrunner is releasing House of Guinness ahead of two major film projects, including his Peaky Blinders follow-up film, The Immortal Man, arriving on Netflix in 2026. He is also set to write the next James Bond movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve with the role of Agent 007 still to be cast. House of Guinness premieres Thursday, 25th September on Netflix.
