The Princess Royal has been dubbed the “absolute brick” of the royal family as she chatted with veterans and their families during a Christmas Tea Party she hosted in their honour.
Anne, 75, hosted the tea party at St James’s Palace for The Not Forgotten Association, which supports veterans and service-people who are suffering from injury and illness.
The King’s sister mingled with guests, including Dorothea Barron, 101, who served with the Wrens between 1943 and 1945.
The ex-servicewoman said she told Anne that she thinks she is “the absolute brick of the royal family”.
© Getty ImagesThe Princess meeting veteran Dorothea Barron
“She’s practical, she’s down to earth and she’s a damned hard worker,” Mrs Barron added.
Anne is patron of over 300 organisations and carries out hundreds of engagements a year, sometimes several in a day.
She often tops the hardest working royal list, and carried out 395 engagements and 79 abroad in 2024, despite taking some time off to recover from her injuries from a horse-related accident last summer.
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Sir Tim speaking with guests
Princess Anne has been patron of the Not Forgotten Association since 2000 and she was joined at the event by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, who served in the navy.
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The charity celebrated its 105th anniversary recently
The couple met around 200 guests at the charity party. It was founded in the wake of the First World War and currently supports 10,000 beneficiaries a year.
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Anne speaking with Frank
Among the guests was Frank Oldham, 106, who is thought to be the UK’s oldest veteran, and who described the event as “fantastic”. Mr Oldham, who lives in Romford, Essex, said the decorations in St James’s Palace are “amazing”.
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Anne speaking with association members
Another attendee was Ruth Barnwell, 101, who joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service aged 17 when her brother’s friend was killed on HMS Hood, which was sunk by the German battleship Bismarck during the Battle of the Denmark Strait on May 24 1941. Mrs Barnwell said she has met the Princess four times this year, commenting that she always “stops and chats”. She added: “I think if anybody doesn’t know what to do, join the forces, that’s the best thing they can do. They can learn so much, I mean it’s all trades.”
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Anne meets with Sergeant Major Andrew Stokes
The Princess looked elegant in a floral dress and black blazer for the occasion, wearing pearl earrings, a brooch and her hair in its signature beehive.