Princess Anne, marking her 74th birthday today, has reiterated her concerns regarding the younger royals' attempts to reshape the family's charitable initiatives. She emphasised the value of tradition, suggesting that maintaining established practices might prove more effective.
In a rare interview from 2020, King Charles' sister, Anne, advised against the push to modernise royal conduct, urging those involved not to "reinvent the wheel." As a patron of over 300 charities, organisations, and military regiments, Anne shared her belief that the younger generation may not fully grasp the efforts made by their predecessors. She remarked, "You don’t necessarily look at the previous generations and say, ‘Oh, you did that? Or, you went there?’"
The Princess Royal, who has consistently championed the importance of maintaining traditional methods, cautioned that the desire to innovate might not always yield successful results. "Please do not reinvent that particular wheel," she advised. "We’ve been there, done that ‒ some of these things don’t work. You may need to go back to basics."
Although Anne did not specify who her comments were directed at in her Vanity Fair interview, there have long been indications that Prince William is intent on streamlining the monarchy, in line with his father's vision. Notably, her remarks came just four months after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step back from their senior royal roles and relocate to America.
The couple, who now reside overseas with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, stated at the time: "We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."
Today, Princess Anne received a special birthday tribute from the King, with a message that read: "Wishing The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday," accompanied by a collage of Charles and Anne together.
