Princess Anne 'even closer' to King Charles since Queen's death and his birthday gift could carry 'enormous emotional significance'
Former royal butler Grant Harrold believes the King values his sister's 'unwavering support' and her present might reflect their bond
Princess Anne is one of King Charles's most loyal supporters and he could choose a particularly special gift for her 76th birthday on 15th August. The siblings are less than two years apart in age and former royal butler Grand Harrold believes that although they've "always" been close, their bond strengthened after losing their mother in 2022.
"In my view, they've become even closer since the death of Queen Elizabeth," he claimed. "They were both with their mother during her final days, and they've shared the enormous responsibility of carrying on her legacy. Charles clearly values Anne's loyalty and unwavering support."
Grant highlights how King Charles gave his sister the special role of "Gold Stick in Waiting", making her his ceremonial personal bodyguard.
He also took steps to have Anne and Prince Edward made extra Counsellors of State, given they are too low down in the line of succession to automatically take on these roles. The King and Princess Royal saw their mother's dedication to duty first-hand and are both utterly focused on their jobs too.
Although His Majesty could definitely buy his sister a luxurious birthday gift this year, the former butler thinks he'll choose something "personal" instead.
He told Heart Bingo, "I could certainly imagine the King choosing something thoughtful rather than extravagant. They both have a genuine love of the countryside, gardening and the outdoors, so a gift for Anne's garden would feel incredibly personal and meaningful."
However, there's another possible present and it would honour their family and their joint passion for re-using and re-cycling rather than buying new. Grant suggested that King Charles could give the Princess Royal a piece of jewellery that used to belong to Queen Elizabeth.
He noted that the King has inherited a lot of their mother's personal possessions, adding that "we have seen members of the Royal Family pass sentimental items between generations".
"A gift like that would carry enormous emotional significance and would be a lovely way of honouring both their mother and Anne's special place within the family," he added.
Princess Anne often spends her birthday in Scotland so if King Charles and Queen Camilla have headed up to Balmoral for their break, they could celebrate together. However, the no-nonsense Princess isn't a fan of a lot of fuss for her birthdays and it's possible she'll mark turning 76 with just her husband Sir Timothy Laurence.
According to The Sunday Times's Royal Editor Roya Nikkah, Princess Anne apparently has a rule when it comes to which birthdays to mark.
"Anne's policy is 'I will do things for my birthdays that have a zero, but I won't do things for my birthdays that have a five'," the expert previously claimed on the Royals with Roya and Kate podcast.
Even so, the siblings will likely reunite at some point during the August break. As well as being their go-to holiday home, Balmoral Castle is where Queen Elizabeth passed away and so it now holds even more significance for the Royal Family.
Princess Anne has said she's "fortunate" to have shared the last 24 hours of her mother's life and in a forward for a Balmoral guidebook, King Charles wrote the castle "continues to hold a uniquely special place in the hearts of my family and myself."
