She was vocal with her opinion that “slimming down” the monarchy wasn’t a wise idea, and now Princess Anne has had to watch as her ailing older brother, King Charles, works himself into the ground.
“Well, I think the ‘slimmed down’ was said in a day when there were a few more people around,” Anne told CBC News shortly before the coronation. “It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I would say. I’m not quite sure what else we can do.”
But after standing back for too long, Anne, 73, is now taking action to help Charles – by demanding his wayward son, Prince Harry, 39, return home to the UK to see his ageing father and help him with the mountain of royal duties.
“Anne takes her job very seriously as the King’s unofficial bodyguard and she can’t sit by and let this situation get worse. She sees how much pain this is causing her brother and she’s had enough,” a royal insider tells Woman’s Day.
The 75-year-old King’s relationship with youngest son Harry has been fraught with tension for four years since he quit the royals and moved to California with his American wife, Meghan, 42.
The rift only widened recently when Charles was heavily criticised in Omid Scobie’s book Endgame, with cruel and very specific detail about his alleged incompetency for the throne.
Now Anne can’t help but be protective over her brother in the face of all the drama, especially when she sees the impact it’s having on his poor health.
“Up until now she’s mainly kept out of the Harry and Meghan saga, watching by the sidelines as things went from bad to worse,” says the source. “But she can’t bear another year of this extremely vicious feud, so she’s finally stepping in and is ready to read Harry the riot act.”
The insider adds, “She has every expectation that her nephew, who’s always been intimidated by his stern aunt, will listen. She wants him home at the very least to mend bridges with his father and his older brother William.”
Though she’s only 17th in line to the throne, Anne has always been seen as one of the most dedicated royal members, due to the large number of engagements she attends every year. This past year, she pipped Charles at the post, topping the royals list with 457 engagements to 425!
Princess Anne was the hardest working royal in 2023.
(Image: Getty)Call to duty
But while no-nonsense Anne has high expectations of work ethic among the royal family, she also has sympathy for the emotional stress that Charles has had to take on with the ongoing Harry feud on top of his duties to the crown.
“Anne is also worried about how this stress is all affecting Charles’ long-term health – it’s fair to say it’s taking its toll and he’s not as agile or sprightly as he’s always been,” says the insider.
“This hasn’t been the greatest first year of his rule and no one has been left more exhausted by it than Charles.
“He puts on the supreme upper lip in public, but Anne knows her brother, and she can see he’s getting frustrated, at the very least.”
Stressed Charles has been showing some signs of ailing health.
(Image: Getty)Early takeover?
There have been mounting rumours that the King is considering letting his heir, Prince William, 41, take the crown before 2030.
And with his 2024 calendar looking as busy as ever, it’s no wonder Charles could be eager to scale back as soon as possible.
“This may be the last year we see the King at full tilt in terms of his duties, and already he has a full schedule, including a trip to Australia,” says the source.
Another reason Anne is pressuring Harry to come home to England is so Charles can finally get to know his young grandchildren, Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet.
The insider says, “It’s deeply concerning for Anne that Charles is facing the year still completely estranged from his grandchildren in America. She knows what a softie he is deep down and this will weigh heavily on his heart.
“Anne also knows how much joy Charles gets from being a grandfather and is desperately curious about Archie and Lili. This isn’t about Harry or Meghan – this is about Charles, duty and family.”
