King Charles III Strengthens Bond With His Key Confidante Princess Anne

Sep 21, 2022

The last few years have been momentous for the British monarchy. They were rocked with the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle planned to step down as senior members of the royal family in January 2020. The unprecedented news was shocking and even led to rumors of a rift between the couple and the royal family. 

They later shed light on the situation during an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. But the controversial interview was soon overshadowed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II's beloved husband, Prince Philip, in April 2021. 

Elizabeth had to deal with several overwhelming emotions before really focusing on taking care of herself and her physical health. But in February 2022, she celebrated 70 years as monarch of the United Kingdom and 15 Commonwealth Realms before her Platinum Jubilee celebration took place in June of the same year.

However, sadly, Her Majesty encountered more health troubles, and on Sept. 8, 2022, Britain's longest-reigning monarch passed away. It was a devastating day for the royal family as many members gathered to be by her side in her final moments. 

That same day, Elizabeth's eldest son, King Charles III, ascended the throne. And just one day later, he addressed the UK as its new monarch. Now, as king, Charles is leaning on his family more than ever – including his younger sister, Anne, Princess Royal – to carry on his late mother’s legacy and be a leader for the UK and its Commonwealth Realms. Read on to learn more about the royals’ brother-sister relationship and how it’s developed over the years.

Almost a year to the day after the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding on Nov. 20, 1947, the future queen gave birth to her eldest son King Charles III on Nov. 14, 1948. Charles was born in the Buhl Room of Buckingham Palace via cesarean section when Elizabeth was still a princess. 

Prince Philip was not present as his wife was in labor for 30 hours, and to quell his nerves, he decided to play a game of squash with his private secretary. The Daily Mail reported that when the prince finally received news of a successful delivery, he bounded to the room, which had been converted into an operating theater, still in his sporting flannels and open-neck shirt before declaring the child looked like a plum pudding. 

By August 1950, Princess Anne was born, and for the following 10 years, they remained a family of four before welcoming Prince Andrew and Prince Edward into the family.

Growing up, Charles and Anne had a great bond. According to PEOPLE, the two royals bonded over their love of gardening. “My sister and I had a little vegetable patch in the back of some border somewhere,” Charles said. “We had great fun trying to grow tomatoes rather unsuccessfully and things like that.” According to Woman & Home, this is the hobby that cemented Charles and Anne’s sibling relationship.

Despite their commonality with this particular hobby, the king and Princess Royal have stark differences. According to Cornwall Live, Charles was “never as boisterous or noisy as Princess Anne,” who was described as having a “much stronger, more extrovert personality.”

Royal biographer Nicholas Courtney said:

“There are quarrels in every family, Princess Anne even admitting in retrospect that she and her brother ‘fought like cats and dogs.’ Such discord can not have been as bad (as) she remembers it, as they spent all their time together, at least when Charles was not in the schoolroom.”

Body language expert Judi James told Express:

“Their body language suggests enough personality contrasts for them to have never been natural friends. But Anne’s straight-talking, stoic approach could be the perfect complement to her more inwardly-focused often self-pitying older brother.”

James added:

“Anne always looked more confident and spontaneous than Charles, but photos of them together as small children show Charles using body language that suggests he was both attentive to and rather ‘big brother’ protective of Anne."

And now that Charles is king, his sister has been more by his side than ever. According to The Guardian, Anne traveled behind the queen’s hearse during the six-hour journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh during a period of mourning. Some people have speculated that Anne will be given an elevated title, but what is clear is that she has already started taking on more notable responsibilities.

The Princess Royal said that the queen led by example, and all four kids followed Elizabeth’s lead by “watching and learning.” She added, “There is no manual, in that respect: it was about listening, and it was about learning, not making assumptions and certainly not throwing your weight around.”

According to The Times, Anne will serve as Charles’ confidante, a role that will surely only bring the pair of siblings even closer together.

What do you think about King Charles III and Princess Anne’s bond? What is your relationship with your siblings like? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.