Princess Anne acted as her older brother King Charles‘s bodyguard today as he attended the House of Lords for the State Opening of Parliament.
The Princess Royal, 73, reprised her role as Gold-Stick-in-Waiting which she performed at the Coronation in May, as Charles, 74, delivered his first ever King’s Speech since becoming monarch.
The mother-of-two, who is often dubbed the ‘hardest-working royal’, walked dutifully behind the King and the Pages of Honour as he walked into the House of Lords to set out the government’s policies for the next year.
Princess Anne was dressed in full regalia as Colonel of the Blues and Royals as she carried out her duty this morning.
The royal couple travelled in a carriage just behind King Charles and Queen Camilla which departed Buckingham Palace and arrived in Westminster where the King’s Speech was delivered.
Anne’s role as King Charles’s bodyguard is a reward for her loyalty to Charles, with a royal source telling the Mirror: ‘This is a fantastic addition by the King and further cements the Princess Royal’s role as his most trusted lieutenant.’
Anne did join the late Queen for a number of State Openings of Parliament when she was younger, but this will be the first time she enters the chamber alongside the monarch since 1985.
It is another responsibility for the King’s eldest sibling, who was made a Counsellor of State alongside her younger brother Prince Edward after Charles ascended to the throne.
This means that if the monarch becomes ill, is abroad or unable to carry out his duties, she is able to step in in his place.
Tuesday’s state opening of Parliament is the second time Princess Anne has performed her role as Gold-Stick-in-Waiting, after first taking up the position for King Charles’s Coronation on May 6.
