Latest news with #GatcombePark
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Rare unseen family footage of Queen Elizabeth released to mark Princess Anne's birthday
Rare family footage of Queen Elizabeth II has been released to mark Princess Anne 's 75th birthday on Friday, 15 August. Video shows the Princess Royal, who is the younger sister of King Charles III, being held by her mother as a baby. A new portrait has also been released to mark the occasion, with Anne pictured with a smile outside her Gatcombe Park home in the photograph taken by John Swannell. The princess has eschewed any major public commemorations for her big day, preferring to host a special forum for her charities in June instead.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Princess Anne looks regal in new photo released for her 75th birthday
A new photograph of The Princess Royal has been released by Buckingham Palace to mark her 75th birthday today. Princess Anne looked elegant as ever in a blue and white dress with a high collar while leaning gently on a window frame. The regal image was taken last month at Gatcombe Park, Anne's private residence, by John Swannell. The celebrated royal photographer also took the official portraits of Anne for her 60th and 70th birthday, as well as many other shots of the royals including Diana, Princess of Wales, and the late Queen's official Diamond Jubilee portrait in 2012. Notoriously private, Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence are said to be sailing their 42ft yacht Ballochbuie (named after ancient woodland on the Balmoral estate) around the Western Isles of Scotland to celebrate the day. Indeed, Anne is said to hold a 'no-frills' approach to her birthdays which means she only celebrates major milestones. '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,"' expert Roya Nikkhah revealed on the Royals with Roya and Kate podcast. She added Anne has reportedly cancelled meetings in the run to the big day to avoid discussions about how she might mark her 75th. Despite her best efforts to squash any fuss about her big day, Anne hosted more than a hundred charities at Buckingham Palace last month to commemorate the milestone. It was said to be her only request for her big day, turning the royal residence into the 'charities forum'. 'This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about,' a palace source said. '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.' The princess, wearing a sand coloured skirt suit, arrived at the event after Colonel John Boyd, her Private Secretary, welcomed guests to the Palace's ballroom, telling them: 'There has been a significant amount of interest in HRH's 75th birthday celebrations. 'As you are aware the princess has given decades of time and support to more than 400 charities and patronages. 'It probably won't come as a surprise, given HRH's commitment to you all, that the way the Princess wants to celebrate this milestone is to replicate what she's done on previous significant birthdays and hold this charities forum again to once again understand how she can help you, at a time when the third sector is facing unprecedented challenges and transformations.' In her own speech to more than 216 guests from 111 different organisations, Anne was typically self-effacing, telling them hilariously: 'I'm not here because this was my choice. 'You very kindly asked me to become patron of your organisations, so it's an honour for me to have all of you here.' She also spoke about 'the pleasure I get from visiting and finding out a bit more about what you do.' Anne is regularly named the Royal Family's hardest-working royal, even in her 70s. Last year she conducted 474 public engagements. But, as the princess refuses to allow journalists to accompany her on official engagements – unless she can be persuaded there is a good reason – her work attracts little publicity. 'She's never felt the need to court public opinion and has just got on with the job with the minimum of fuss,' a source told Daily Mail's Rebecca English last week. But her 75th birthday celebrations were well attended, which heard from three charity leaders: Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund spoke about public trust in charities; David Holdsworth, CEO of the Charity Commission spoke about the financial challenges faced by charities; Zoe Amar, founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital spoke about the opportunities and challenges raised by technology. Their presentations were followed by a Q&A session led by Professor Lynne Berry, Chair, Human Tissue Authority, who addressed the Princess by saying: 'Your leadership... and encouragement to a group of charities that range in size, in location, in purpose, is quite extraordinary.' Among the charities invited were two of her most longstanding patronages, Save the Children, which she became patron of in 1970, and Riding for the Disabled, of which she became patron in 1971. Some of her newest charities were also represented, including Friends of the Elderly and Royal Star and Garter Homes - both formerly patronages of Queen Elizabeth II - and the Naval Children's Charity, formerly a patronage of the Duke of York. In her address, the Princess also told guests: 'I would just like to make the point that we're very fortunate that His Majesty has allowed us to use Buckingham Palace for this event… And I need to say that!' She concluded by saying: 'The responsibility and respect that you give to your own organisations, the people who work for you and your own beneficiaries, is perhaps the key to what makes you so important. Respect and responsibility. Thank you very much for doing what you do.' Anne cancelled her last major birthday celebration in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Five years ago, the Daily Mail reported Anne had been due to celebrate her 70th with a soiree hosted by her mother Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. The Princess Royal instead marked the occasion with a sailing trip around the west coast of Scotland with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. The late Queen also hosted a secret, socially distanced lunch with her daughter at Frogmore House, an empty private royal residence on her Berkshire estate, to mark the occasion. No other members of the Royal Family were present, and only minimal staff - who were part of the Queen's castle 'bubble' at the time - attended. Anne's next milestone birthday will be her 80th in 2030 and, according to Roya, Anne plans to start 'winding down' her royal duties after that. The royal insider said: '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."'
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Anne's milestone 75th birthday marked with new photograph
A new photograph of the Princess Royal has been released to mark her 75th birthday. Anne, who celebrates her three-quarters-of-a-century milestone on Friday, is pictured with an amused smile as she stands near a window outside her Gatcombe Park home. The King's sister, often hailed as the hardest-working member of the royal family, has eschewed any major public commemorations for her big day, preferring to host a special forum for her charities in June instead. She is said to be spending the day sailing around the Western Isles of Scotland with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and marking her birthday privately. The official portrait, taken by celebrated photographer John Swannell last month, shows Anne wearing a clean-lined colour-blocked royal blue dress with a contrasting bright white high collar, matching cuffs and white buttoned central trim. Anne, who is known for re-wearing her outfits even decades later, was pictured in the same dress at The King's Foundation Awards at St James's Palace in June. The image captures a relaxed-looking Anne, with her hair self-styled in her signature bouffant, resting her hand on a stone windowsill at Gatcombe. It was from the princess's Gloucestershire estate just over a year ago that Anne was taken to hospital after she was believed to have been struck by a horse. She was treated in intensive care for concussion and minor head injuries, spending five nights at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. The princess, who was back on royal duties less than three weeks later, has said she has no memory of the incident but now views every day as a 'bonus'. Last month the Royal Mint unveiled the first official UK coin to honour Anne, created in celebration of her birthday and lifetime of service. Swannell was also tasked with taking the official photographs for Anne's 70th, and previously photographed Diana, Princess of Wales and her sons, the late Queen for her official diamond jubilee portrait in 2012, Sir Tony Blair, Sir Michael Caine and Sir Elton John. Another image of Anne by photographer Chris Jackson was released last week showing the princess in a tiara and gown with Sir Tim on the night of the Windsor Castle state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
New portrait to mark Princess Anne's 75th birthday
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'.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
It may sound barking... but Kirstie Allsopp is quite the dog whisperer: EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE
Princess Anne shares the same disdain for birthdays as her late father. 'Just another day' is their shared motto. So it's no surprise that when she gathered her charities together at Buck House last week, she told them she wanted no fuss as her 75th birthday approaches in August. While she may avoid a glittering birthday ball at the palace, she won't get her way completely. A source reports that son-in-law Mike Tindall has plans for a grand bash in the luxurious party barn he and Zara designed on the Gatcombe Park estate. The Tindalls live in the grounds of teetotal Anne's countryside retreat, so at least she can slip away before Mike's infamous party games begin. The King's absence from the Derby – he has now missed three during his reign – is being blamed for the record low attendance of 22,312. A Jockey Club mole whispers that a formal dress code, including morning dress and top hats, adds to the occasion, but only if there are royals present to give the event kudos. With the King having struck the Derby from his social calendar, it has lost a lot of its lustre as a place to be seen. By contrast, at Royal Ascot next week there will be upwards of 300,000 attending over five days, with the King, Queen and other royals present throughout. Comedian Jack Dee, dogsitting his daughter Phoebe's hound Nelly, says: 'She'll start barking at anything on the telly. She's got a celebrity crush, Nelly has. She's rather fallen for Kirstie Allsopp. When Kirstie came on she's absolutely transfixed.' If Kirstie, 53, pictured, finds she's barking up the wrong tree selling houses on the TV, might she make a career of dog-whispering? Was BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson ever on Freddie Forsyth's Christmas card list? Hardly, as he reveals that in 1967 he was the junior BBC sub-editor who spotted how foreign correspondent Freddie was introducing Biafran propaganda into his dispatches from the Nigerian civil war. 'I told my boss,' tweets apple-polisher Simpson, 80. 'Forsyth was sacked – and went on to write one of the best thrillers ever.' Trainer Peter Easterby, who has died at 95, had the saddest day of his career when his 1979 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Alverton was killed in the Grand National two weeks later. He recalled: 'For the next four or five years, when I got to Aintree there was a telegram waiting for me in the weighing room placing a curse on me for having run him.' New Reform chairman Dr David Bull, formerly of Most Haunted Live!, tells ITV's Good Morning Britain of his encounter with a medium, who warned: 'You didn't come here alone. Your grandmother is with you.' Adds Bull, 56: 'He changed facially and started to channel her... then he jumped on me and tried to strangle me!' Fingers crossed there'll be no throttling when he falls out with Nigel.
