Princess Anne shows her true colours with 'no fuss' birthday decision

Princess Anne's straightforward approach is often cited as a key factor in her standing as one of the Royal Family's most admired members, and this trait seems to extend to how she marks personal milestones.

Today, the Princess Royal turns 75, but it appears she has eschewed any grand festivities for her birthday. Instead, Anne chose to give a nod to her special day during a Buckingham Palace charity forum in June, where she celebrated 100 of her extensive 400 patronages. In anticipation of her 75th year, a fresh portrait featuring Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence was unveiled.

The Royal Mint has commemorated the occasion with a new £5 coin, honouring the enduring legacy of one of the British Royal Family's longest-standing members.

An insider highlighted the significance of Anne's choices, telling Hello! magazine: "This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about. She didn't want to do anything for her birthday but bring her charities together to hear more about their work and how she can help them."

On the Pod Save the King podcast, Jennifer Newton, Deputy Royal Editor at The Daily Mirror, revealed that Princess Anne's 75th birthday will be a low-key affair. She explained: "The Royal Mint has made their first commemorative coin for Princess Anne so it's quite interesting to think that she has never had anything like this before, but yeah, it's the first coin that has Anne's depiction on it. It has Anne on one side and the King on the other and she's approved it.

"Apparently this is all we're going to get when it comes to her birthday, which is in a few weeks time, she turns 75. According to reports she doesn't want to have any fuss, no big celebration, nothing, this is the only thing."

Anne Gripper, Executive Editor at Mirror Online, described Anne as "a no fuss Royal" leading Newton to comment: "This shows she doesn't want any fuss, she just wants to get on with the day and she'll probably just be doing what she always does, working, like the workhorse she is. No special plans for her birthday."

Princess Anne is often cited as "the hardest working" member of the Royal Family, having completed 395 engagements in the UK and another 79 overseas in 2024, more than any other Royal.

For the fourth year running, the Princess Royal topped the list of most engagements, a testament to her commitment to fitting multiple engagements into a single day.

Princess Anne is known for her efficient "popping in and out" of engagements via helicopter due to tight schedules, yet she's praised for always being well-prepared and "thoroughly committed" to her duties. On the Right Royal Podcast, Andrea Caamano shared an anecdote about Anne's dedication, saying: "I actually did see Princess Anne once, on the street, and she was on her official cart and she was reading notes ahead of going to an event, so there we go, hard-working."

Despite Anne's reputation as the most diligent member of the Royal Family, King Charles is giving her a run for her money this year. In the first quarter of 2025, he has reportedly completed a quarter of all Royal engagements.

According to Write Royalty, from the start of the year until May 31, he has carried out nearly 260 engagements out of the Royal Family's total of 1,100.