Why Princess Anne should be 'further up the line of succession'

Former Royal Butler Paul Burrell has claimed that perhaps Princess Anne 'works harder than the King' and deserves 'recognition'

Princess Anne should be 'further up the line of succession'
(Image credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Princess Anne should be 'further up the line of succession' claims a former Royal Butler who has spoken about the Princess Royal's 'hard work'.


Princess Anne is one of our favourite royals who has often defended her hardest working royal title by attending the highest number of royal engagements year on year. Surpringly, in some years over the past decade, she has actually completed more engagements than the new King himself.

In an exclusive interview with Spin Genie, a former royal butler has spoken about the Princess Royal's dedication to her role and her work ethic. Paul Burrell praised King Charles for recognising 'hard-working' sister Princess Anne and her 'selfless duty' and argued that she may even be working 'harder' than His Majesty the King.

“At last, she’s being recognised for all the hard work that she does. In fact, she probably works harder than the King himself and she’s never had any recognition before," he said. 

Princess Anne, Princess Royal rides on horseback behind the gold state coach

(Image credit: Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The butler added that now Charles is the monarch, he can ensure that his sister's place in the Royal Family is highlighted and her dedication is praised. "Now the King is letting her step up to the plate and is saying 'This is my sister who is long-suffering and hard-working and nobody ever says thank you'. For once, someone is recognising her selfless duty to the public, hooray!"

The butler then added, "Why she isn’t further up the line of succession, I just don’t know because she should be.” 

Princess Anne, Princess Royal attends the 2023 Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 13, 2023 in London, England.

(Image credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

As Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II's second child, it may be easy to think that after the King's children and grandchildren, the Princess Royal would be in line. However, this is not the case. In fact, much to many fans dismay, Princess Anne is rather far down in the line...

Back when Princess Anne was born, there was still a hierarchy based on gender and the Princess's place in the royal line of succession was affected by the birth of her younger brother's Andrew and Edward, who pushed her further down the line.

This means that the Princess is currently 16th in line to the throne, and as her niece Princess Eugenie is pregnant with her second child, Anne will soon be pushed down to the seventeenth member of the family in line for the throne when the baby is born.

Of course, changing this order would be uprooting generations of tradition, and Charles' has already highlighted her value as a member of the family. In fact, when he first became King, Charles’ first major change as King saw Princess Anne set to receive new role in modern monarchy as he highlighted her importance to the monarchy. Suggesting any other changes are not necessary and unlikely, despite the public desire for her to have more recognition.

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.