As the daughter of one future monarch and the sister of another, I think we’re all expecting Princess Charlotte to receive some kind of special title one day. Queen Elizabeth bestowed additional honours on all of her children and on Prince William, making him Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus in 2011.
King Charles is apparently keen for his granddaughter to take on Sophie’s title one day, though royal author Robert Hardman predicts that Charlotte will receive another instead. Speaking recently to Hello!, he claimed, “I was told the King wanted to reserve the Duchess of Edinburgh role for her, which could happen.”
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Traditionally, the Princess Royal title is held by the eldest daughter of the monarch and so it would make sense for Charlotte to become the next one when William is King. However, like Prince Edward’s title, Princess Anne’s remains hers for life.
This means that Charlotte can’t be made Princess Royal as soon as her father ascends the throne if her great-aunt is still alive. He’d also have to officially bestow it upon her as it’s not automatically inherited by one Princess to the next.
Princess Anne was made Princess Royal in 1987 when she was 36 and she’s now amassed plenty of experience. As Robert mentioned, this makes her an excellent role model for Princess Charlotte to look up to and learn from ahead of potentially becoming Princess Royal herself.
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There have only been seven Princess Royals so far and Anne is widely regarded as one of the most hard-working members of the Royal Family, praised for her no-nonsense attitude and commitment to The Firm. She and Charlotte have also grown up in similar positions as the sister of the future King, so Anne will appreciate what her great-niece is experiencing.
The late Queen Elizabeth seems to have taken an interest in George and Charlotte’s dynamic and made a candid comment about it in 2018. After hearing that a younger sister looked after her big sister, she reportedly replied, “It’s like that with Charlotte and George”.
Princess Anne and King Charles are also said to have had this kind of relationship when they were children. Former royal nanny Mabel Anderson once claimed that Anne had a “much stronger, more extrovert personality” compared to her brother.
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The two siblings are incredibly close and His Majesty set a new precedent when he became King and requested that Anne – and Edward – should become additional Counsellors of State. Usually it’s only the first four royals in the line of succession and the monarch’s spouse who have this role, but he clearly trusts and values Anne and Edward.
Perhaps Prince George could ensure Charlotte and Louis are his Counsellors of State in the future too. Princess Anne has shown how important a role the Princess Royal can have and she’s also proving to be a role model to all the younger royals when it comes to dedication.
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Princess Charlotte
Princess Anne