Princess Anne thanks King Charles for allowing her to use Buckingham Palace for a special event, joking that she "needed to say that".
Anne welcomed 216 guests from 111 charitable organisations to Buckingham Palace on Thursday for a special forum marking her 75th birthday year. The Princess Royal, who turns 75 on August 15, specifically requested the gathering as her preferred way to celebrate the milestone.
Rather than hosting personal celebrations, Anne chose to bring together representatives from her extensive charitable portfolio. The event reflects her characteristic approach to royal duties, focusing on service rather than ceremony.
Colonel John Boyd, her Private Secretary, told guests in the Palace ballroom: "It probably won't come as a surprise, given HRH's commitment to you all, that the way the Princess wants to celebrate this milestone is to replicate what she's done on previous significant birthdays and hold this charities forum again."
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|Princess Anne jokes she 'needs to say thank you' to King Charles for Palace access.
A Palace source revealed the Princess's motivation, telling Hello!: "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."
The Princess Royal maintains more than 400 patronages, making her one of the busiest working royals. Thursday's forum exemplified her decades-long dedication to charitable causes.
Boyd emphasised the timing of the event, noting it came "at a time when the third sector is facing unprecedented challenges and transformations." The gathering aimed to help Anne understand how she could better support her patronages during difficult circumstances.
"This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about," the Palace source added, highlighting Anne's preference for practical engagement over personal celebration.
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In her address, Anne was characteristically self-effacing, telling guests: "I'm not here because this was my choice. You very kindly asked me to become patron of your organisations, so it's an honour for me to have all of you here."
The Princess spoke about "the pleasure I get from visiting and finding out a bit more about what you do."
Princess Anne added: “I would just like to make the point that we're very fortunate that His Majesty has allowed us to use Buckingham Palace for this event,” giving them a wry smile, before adding, to laughter: "And I need to say that."
Anne concluded her speech by emphasising core values: "The responsibility and respect that you give to your own organisations, the people who work for you and your own beneficiaries, is perhaps the key to what makes you so important. Respect and responsibility. Thank you very much for doing what you do."
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The forum featured presentations from three charity leaders addressing key sector challenges. Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund, spoke about public trust in charities, whilst David Holdsworth, CEO of the Charity Commission, addressed financial challenges facing the sector.
Zoe Amar, founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital, discussed opportunities and challenges raised by technology.
Professor Lynne Berry, Chair of the Human Tissue Authority, led a Q&A session and praised Anne's leadership: "Your leadership... and encouragement to a group of charities that range in size, in location, in purpose, is quite extraordinary."
Attendees included representatives from Save the Children and Riding for the Disabled, patronages Anne has held since 1970 and 1971, respectively. Following the formal proceedings, the Princess spent an hour at an afternoon tea reception in the Picture Gallery, where the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra provided entertainment.