Princess Anne steps in for brother King Charles for significant royal duty
It was the first ceremony of the year in that palacePrincess Anne stepped in for her brother King Charles this week, taking over an extremely significant royal duty on Tuesday (March 4).
The 74-year-old royal held a ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on behalf of the 76-year-old king.
It marked the first investiture ceremony of the year at that palace. It’s typically an event that King Charles would be in attendance for. But instead Princess Anne wore her traditional naval uniform and handed out honours to the recipients instead.
Princess Anne takes over from King Charles on royal duty
The honours ceremonies typically happen at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Around 30 take place each year. However, on some occasions throughout the year, they also happen in Edinburgh or overseas during State Visits.
While it’s usually Charles who has the duty of giving out the honours, the responsibility can sometimes fall to Princess Anne or Prince William.
This time it was Princess Anne. She is often noted as the ‘hardest working royal’. The official Royal Family Instagram page shared a congratulatory post to those who received their honours.
Alongside photos of the Princess Royal handing out the medals, the caption read: “Well done to all who received honours at the Palace of holyroodhouse yesterday. Amongst recipients were sporting stars, Nathan Maccqueen MBE and Sandy Lyle OBE. Congratulations!”
This wasn’t Anne’s only engagement in Scotland. After the ceremony, she headed to a Royal Warrant Holders Association reception at the palace.
Why was Charles not in attendance?
Instead of attending the honours ceremony on Tuesday, Charles headed to the Royal Navy’s flagship ahead of its deployment to the other side of the world. He flew to HMS Prince of Wales in the English Channel. The monarch spoke to the sailors to express his gratitude for their service.
He also spent time watching as F-35B fighter jets carried out landing exercises on the deck of the 65,000 tonne Portsmouth-based carrier.
It was the first time in nearly 40 years that a reigning monarch had visited a Royal Navy warship at sea.
Charles reaffirmed support for Ukraine
The news comes as King Charles reaffirmed his support for Ukraine by meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Sandringham House last weekend.
Their visit came after a tense encounter between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at the White House. The Ukrainian leader appeared to face a frosty and ‘humiliating’ reception from Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Reports even suggest that Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian president during the discussions.
However, he had a completely different experience with King Charles as he was happily welcomed. It’s believed they spent almost an hour together on Sunday March 2.
A royal source said: “The Ukranian President was warmly received and the meeting lasted just under an hour. Prior to his visit Mr Zelenskyy requested the meeting with His Majesty, and the government agreed for it to go ahead.”
It’s believed that the Ukranian president was served tea and refreshments in the Saloon room of Sandringham House.
Read more: Royal family’s Twitter page sparks ‘hacking’ fears with cryptic message: ‘What’s going on?’
What do you think of Princess Anne stepping in for King Charles for a royal duty? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page @RoyalInsiderOfficial. We want to hear your thoughts!
