How Princess Anne Completely Stepped Up For Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth is resting up before her grand Sandringham plans kick into action. The queen will resume her hosting duties at the royal estate in Norfolk — where her family traditionally gathers for the Christmas holidays — after being given the go-ahead by her medical team, per Express. In 2020, due to coronavirus restrictions, the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent the day quietly together. Little did she know that it would also be the last Christmas with Prince Philip, who died in April at age 99. Add to that the queen's own health issues, and it's easy to see why Queen Elizabeth is " totally committed to hosting everyone" at Sandringham for Christmas, per the Mirror.
Traditionally, Queen Elizabeth journeys to Sandringham by train, per Romper, but with her recent health scare, it is uncertain whether she will use the same mode of transportation. In fact, Express reports that the monarch made the journey to her Norfolk residence by helicopter last month to check up on her Christmas plans. The outlet also reports that she will leave for Sandringham around December 17. According to Us Weekly, an insider revealed, "George, Charlotte, and Louis are absolutely delighted to be seeing their great grandmother in person again." Of course, the queen was limited to "desk-based duties" since being hospitalized overnight in October.
However, at least one royal family member has stepped up and made her mother proud. Princess Anne represented her family when it counted the most.
Princess Anne may the 'hardest working royal'
Princess Anne is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and is 17th in line to the throne. Although her younger brothers are ahead in the succession order, per People, the princess royal has consistently proved her dedication to the throne.
In a 2010 BBC interview, she was asked if she would slow down her royal commitments. Anne, who seems to have inherited her father's gift for acerbic one-liners, said (via Hello! Magazine), "Look around at the members of my family who are considerably older than me and tell me whether they have set an example which suggests I might — unlikely."
One of the tasks, as a member of The Firm, is to present investitures where individuals are honored with a rank, such as knighthoods. According to the Telegraph, investitures had been piling up due to COVID-19 regulations. The queen does most of these duties herself, with Prince Charles and Prince William regularly backing her up. However, there apparently was a large backlog of investitures thanks to 2020, and the palace postponed the awards until they could safely be held indoors. So, Anne stepped up and helped to clear the excess work. Before this year, she had only done two or three of them per year. The Telegraph reports (via Vanity Fair) that the princess royal "enjoys investitures and meeting the recipients." In September, Wales Online hailed Anne as the "hardest working royal" this year, and it's easy to see why.