Princess Royal is 74

Palace congratulates Anne with a lovely childhood photo

Buckingham Palace congratulated Princess Anne with this lovely photo of her as a child.(Bild: PA)

Princess Anne celebrates her 74th birthday this Thursday. To mark the occasion, Buckingham Palace posted several photos of the Princess Royal on X - including with her brother, King Charles III (75). 

Princess Anne can be seen in the photos with a beaming smile, but also alongside her brother King Charles. One photo is particularly sweet: it shows Charles and Anne as children sitting in a meadow full of daffodils.

Princess Anne celebrates in private
The pictures were accompanied by the words: "We wish the Princess Royal a very happy birthday today!"

Princess Anne, who had to be treated in hospital for a week in June after an accident with a horse, will spend the day in private, said a palace spokeswoman. 

Hardest-working member of the Royal Family
Like her mother, Anne is a great horse lover. She even took part in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal in the eventing discipline. As President of the British Olympic Association and a member of the Olympic Committee, she was also present at this year's Games in Paris.

Anne also has a lot in common with her mother when it comes to a sense of duty. She is considered to be extremely hard-working. Her importance within the Royal Family has increased significantly over the past five years. In addition to the death of her parents, the background to this is the voluntary departure of Prince Harry (39) and Duchess Meghan (43) from the inner circle of the royal family, as well as her brother Andrew (64), who fell into disrepute due to his involvement in an abuse scandal.

Hardly a day goes by without her visiting a company, hosting a dinner for the staff of a charity or opening a new sports ground.

Anne is not thinking of retiring
"I think people have realized that she is the member of the Royal Family who works the hardest, with the amount of commitments she takes on," says constitutional expert Craig Prescott from Royal Holloway University of London.

He can't imagine that Anne might be thinking of shifting down a gear at 74. "I don't think she's planning to cut back," says Prescott. This is another trait that reminds Anne of her mother.