Princess Anne appeared to joke about her brother, King Charles, as she appeared at an event ahead of her 75th birthday in a few weeks’ time. The royal, who will celebrate her birthday in August, delivered a speech to her 200-plus guests at an event held at Buckingham Palace.
The royal made the invite after hearing from charity leaders Sarah Woolnough of The King’s Fund, David Holdsworth of the Charity Commission and Zoe Amar of Zoe Amar Digital. In her speech, Anne said: “I’m not here because this was my choice. You very kindly asked me to become patron of your organizations, so it’s an honor for me to have all of you here.”
Then, referring to her elder brother, she joked: “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 to say that – it does help.”
The Royal Family’s official website said that Anne had visited attendees on June 6 to discuss “challenges facing the sector, public trust in charities and the opportunities and risks presented by new technologies.”
She also said at the event, “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’s daughter, Zara Tindall, previously spoke of her mum’s relationship with her brother, describing them as “very close”.
Speaking about Anne leading 600 armed forces on his Coronation day back in 2023, Zara said: “It’s a busy time for them all, and her and her brother are very close, so it’s a nice thing to do.”
The monarch also showed his respect for his younger sister by making her a Counsellor of State after his accession in 2022. The duty means that she can execute constitutional duties if he is abroad or unwell.