Hardworking Princess Anne to 'take back seat' from royal life after Charles becomes king

Anne, the Princess Royal, is approaching her 72nd birthday on Monday, August 15, but the notoriously tireless royal hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down yet. However, a royal expert has revealed the future of Anne’s role in the monarchy might involve more of a "back seat" after Charles becomes king.

• Princess Anne could “take a back seat” when her brother Prince Charles takes the throne and creates a slimmed down monarchy
• The comments come from a royal expert, who also stated that it’s “not certain” there will be a role for Anne in the change of reign
• In other royal news, Queen continues Platinum Jubilee celebrations with new coin collection – find out the special meaning behind the three new coins

Her work ethic is famous, with Princess Anne defending her hardest-working title regularly, attending hundreds of events each year.

In fact, the unstoppable Princess Royal most recently attended multiple events on the same day – which just happened to be the hottest ever day in UK history.  

However, a royal expert in the UK, Richard Palmer, has shared some insight which suggests the tireless royal could eventually “take a back seat” from duties and working life.

The change to Anne’s relentlessly busy schedule could come about after her older brother, Prince Charles, becomes king.

The royal expert said, “My understanding has always been that [the] Prince of Wales is very appreciative of his sister. It's possible that, but not certain, there will be a role for her [Princess Anne] in the change of reign.”

“Although, she may want to take a back seat."

This assumption that Anne might be open to taking a back seat could be inferred from comments she made to Vanity Fair about how long her parents continued to work.

In her interview, given before the death of her father Prince Philip, she said, "I have to admit they continued being there for a lot longer than I had in mind, but we'll see."

Anne might have been surprised by how long her parents continued to work, but she has been very coy about the idea of stepping back from royal duties herself when asked in the past.

In the same Vanity Fair profile, she was questioned on whether she has any plans to retire. Showing off that expert royal media training, she gave an answer that didn’t really answer the question.

She said, “I don’t think retirement is quite the same [for me].”

“Most people would say we’re very lucky not to be in that situation because you wouldn’t want to just stop. It is, to a large extent, the choice of the organisations you’re involved with and whether they feel you’re still relevant.”