Like any family, the royals have some pretty unique nicknames for each other, from the Princess of Wales calling Prince Louis ‘Lou-Bugs’ to Prince Philip allegedly calling Queen Elizabeth ‘Cabbage’ as a term of endearment. Not all of them are publicly-known, but Princess Anne’s nickname for King Charles was revealed in 2023.
Out of all Queen Elizabeth’s children, these two are the closest in age and the Princess Royal is a much-respected source of support for her older brother. Their bond and sense of humour comes through in so many subtle moments - and Anne’s remark after the coronation was one of them.
As seen in the Charles III: The Coronation Year documentary, Princess Anne reportedly declared, "Hello, Old Bean", when she saw King Charles at Buckingham Palace after his coronation.
Whilst fans might never have expected to hear the newly-crowned monarch being addressed in this way, King Charles didn’t stand on ceremony and instead apparently burst out laughing. He then greeted his younger sister by kissing her hand.
If anything was going to remind us that the Royal Family is, after all, a family, this was it. King Charles’s nickname from Anne highlights how close they are as siblings, and pulls back the curtain of royal formality to give a glimpse at how they must be behind closed doors.
In June last year, The Telegraph’s Royal Editor, Hannah Furniss spoke about this "lovely moment" on their Royal Insight YouTube series. She described them as having a "very warm relationship", adding that the Princess is a key part of her brother’s inner circle.
"She is probably in a better position than anyone to give him advice, give him a bit of sympathy when he needs it, give him a bit of a pep talk," Hannah alleged. "She understands how the Royal Family works and she has a bit of an eye to the past and to the future."
In 2022 King Charles requested for Princess Anne - and their youngest brother Prince Edward - to become additional Counsellors of State alongside Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice. They have the power to carry out most of the Sovereign’s official duties if he’s temporarily not able to, for example if he’s ill short-term or abroad.
This is a huge honour for Princess Anne and also took pride of place beside him in Hugo Burnand’s group coronation portrait. The Princess and her beloved "Old Bean" King Charles spend a lot of time together and share memories of growing up during some of the Queen’s busiest years.
Speaking previously to OK!, Princess Margaret’s former Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Anne Glenconner, claimed, "Charles and Princess Anne were so small when she became Queen and she just had so much to do. In those days, it took ages to get to countries so she didn’t have a great deal of time to be with her older two."
"When she was with them she was absolutely marvellous, but the Queen Mother looked after them a great deal," Lady Glenconner went on to allege. "When she had Andrew and Edward she was able to spend much more time with them. I remember she wrote once or twice saying that it was so lovely to have the chance to really be with her young boys, because with the other two she had to be away so much."
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