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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Princess Anne swaps parties for charity dinner to mark 75th birthday
The Princess Royal has turned down parties and personal publicity for her 75th birthday, choosing instead to mark the milestone by hosting more than 100 of her charities at Buckingham Palace. The Princess spent more than two hours at the gathering, shaking hands with as many of the 200-plus guests as she could, thanking them for their work. She is not expected to carry out any major public celebrations to mark her Aug 15 birthday, having asked to use the occasion to focus solely on the work of her patronages. Colonel John Boyd, the Princess's private secretary, welcomed the charity representatives to the palace 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.' He added: '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.' The forum was followed by a private reception in the Picture Gallery, with music provided by members of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, another of the Princess's patronages. A palace source said: 'This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about. 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 is regularly named the hardest-working royal, carrying out more public engagements than any of her family members, with little attention or fanfare. She was typically self-effacing as she addressed guests from more than 111 organisations gathered at the palace last Thursday. 'I'm not here because this was my choice,' she said. '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'. 'The responsibility and respect that you give to your own organisations and the people who work for you and your beneficiaries is perhaps the key to what makes you so important,' she said. 'Respect and responsibility. Thank you very much for doing what you do.' The Princess thanked her brother, the King, for use of the palace, adding: 'I would just like to make the point that we are very fortunate that His Majesty has allowed us to use Buckingham Palace for this event tonight – and I need say that – it does help.' 'Quite extraordinary' The event was arranged to discuss topics such as the challenges facing the charity sector, public trust in charities and the opportunities and risks presented to the third sector by new technologies. Speakers included Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of healthcare think tank The King's Fund, David Holdsworth, chief executive of the Charity Commission, and Zoe Amar, founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital, which helps charities develop AI strategies. Their presentations were followed by a Q&A session led by Prof Lynne Berry, chair of the Human Tissue Authority, who told the Princess: 'Your Royal Highness, you've had many great ideas over the years, but this, the Princess Royal's Charities Forum, is one of the best. '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, of which she became patron in 1970, and Riding for the Disabled, which she joined in 1971. Some of her newer charities that were represented included Friends of the Elderly and Royal Star and Garter Homes – both former patronages of Elizabeth II – and the Naval Children's Charity, formerly a patronage of the Duke of York. The Princess's 70th birthday fell during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 but she managed to enjoy a sailing trip around Scotland with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, her husband. She also sent out a new portrait to well-wishers, taken by John Swannell, a trusted society photographer, who also pictured the Princess on her 40th, 50th and 60th birthdays. When she turned 60, she joined family members on a 10-day cruise around the Outer Hebrides, which a friend said she would have spent happily spotting lighthouses. A palace garden party was also held in honour of her charities and she chose to give her birthday interview to the BBC's Inside Sport. Her 50th, in 2000, was marked privately with her family at Balmoral, in Scotland. It followed a lavish ball held that June at Windsor Castle, held to celebrate a series of royal birthdays, including the Queen Mother's 100th, Prince Andrew's 40th, Princess Margaret's 70th and Prince William's 18th. In a tribute to her daughter's charity work, the late Queen Elizabeth II also held a reception for more than 600 representatives of the charities, regiments and organisations with which she was involved. The glamorous portrait by Mr Swannell, released for her 40th birthday in 1990, came just days after the Princess was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with Save the Children. Later that year, Elizabeth II held a ball called 'the dance of the decades' to mark the array of royal birthday milestones.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Anne hosts charities at forum to mark upcoming 75th birthday
The Princess Royal has brought her charities together at a special Buckingham Palace forum after deciding it was the only way she wished to mark her forthcoming 75th birthday. Anne is not expected to carry out any major public celebrations in recognition of her milestone in August and requested to only use the occasion to focus on the work of her patronages. The princess joked about thanking her brother, the King, for use of the Palace ballroom and praised the work of the organisations. Anne said: '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. 'I would just like to make the point that we are very fortunate that His Majesty has allowed us to use Buckingham Palace for this event tonight – and I need say that – it does help.' She said in her speech to the charities: 'The responsibility and respect that you give to your own organisations and the people who work for you and your beneficiaries is perhaps the key to what makes you so important. ' Respect and responsibility. Thank you very much for doing what you do.' A Palace source said: 'This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about. '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 convened the forum and a reception in the Palace on Thursday for some 200 people, drawn from more than 100 of the 300-plus charities and organisations she currently supports. The forum was arranged to discuss key topics such as challenges facing the sector, public trust in charities and the opportunities and risks presented by new technologies. Among the charities were nine organisations of which Anne has become patron of in the last year – at an age when many people have already retired – including Friends of the Elderly and Naval Children's Charity. Colonel John Boyd, private secretary to the Princess, addressing guests at the opening of the event, said: 'There has been a significant amount of interest in Her Royal Highness'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 wanted to celebrate this milestone was to replicate what she's done on previous significant birthdays and hold this charities forum to once again understand how she can help you at a time when the third sector is facing unprecedented challenges and transformations.' Professor Lynne Berry, chairwoman of the Human Tissue Authority and pro chancellor of the University of Westminster, who chaired the discussion, told guests: 'Your Royal Highness, I know you have had many great ideas over the years but this one, this charity forum, is one of the best.' Anne heard about the challenges facing organisations in terms of fundraising and also how charities have been experimenting with AI, with research showing 76% of charities used AI in 2025, up from 61% last year. The princess is a key member of the King's slimmed-down working monarchy and played an important role as she stepped up in support of Charles amid his cancer diagnosis in 2024. Anne is also known for her no-nonsense approach and her commitment to royal duty. She carried out her first public engagement in 1969 aged 18 when she opened an educational and training centre in Shropshire, and a year later began her longest association with a charity, becoming president of Save the Children and later patron.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Princess Anne hosts over 100 charities at Buckingham Palace to mark upcoming 75th birthday
She is known for being one of the hardest-working members of the royal family. So when it came to marking her 75th birthday year, Princess Anne had only one request - to host as many charities as possible for a special gathering at Buckingham Palace. With 400 patronages to her name, the royal residence was packed for 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 today's 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.' The Princess took to the podium after hearing 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.' The Princess Royal beamed on Thursday as she chatted with members from the charities she supports The Princess, who will turn 75 on August 15, is not expected to mark her milestone publicly in any other way. After today's event in the ballroom, she spent around an hour chatting to guests at an afternoon tea reception in the Picture Gallery, where they were entertained by musicians from the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, one of Anne's patronages. This comes as Princess Anne became the first royal to visit to the peninsula of Little Sark as the Channel Islands celebrated Liberation Day last month. She was joined by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence for the day - 80 years since the archipelago was freed from Nazi occupation in World War Two. Anne travelled by horse and carriage to La Coupee, a narrow walkway that connects the main island of Sark to the peninsula of Little Sark. She became the very first member of the Royal Family to visit the area. She had the opportunity to speak to islanders who had been liberated from German occupation, and enjoyed a street party with Chelsea Pensioners and Gurkhas. Christopher Beaumont, the Seigneur of Sark, said he was sure Anne would be 'blown away by the beauty of the island'.
