The Princess Royal chatted with veterans and their families during a Christmas Tea Party she hosted in their honour.
Anne smiled and laughed as she spoke with the ex-servicemen and women who attended the event at St James’s Palace on Thursday.
The princess hosted the tea party for The Not Forgotten Association, which supports veterans and service-people who are suffering from injury and illness.
Among the attendees 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”.
The Princess Royal, Patron of the Not Forgotten Association, meeting veteran Ruth Barnwell (Aaron Chown/PA)
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.”
Dorothea Barron, 101, 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”.
“She’s practical, she’s down to earth and she’s a damned hard worker,” Mrs Barron added.
Reflecting on her service, Mrs Barron said young people these days “can’t imagine what we went through” during the war.
A magician entertains guests at the Not Forgotten Association tea party for association members at St James’s Palace, London (Aaron Chown/PA)
Mrs Barron, who teaches yoga in a village hall near her home in Hertfordshire once a week, said she thinks that the secret to living a long life is simply luck and genetics.
She added: “And making the most of every day, and don’t be greedy, you can’t take anything with you so why chase after wealth, it’s a senseless waste of time.”
Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanoff and Pasha Kovalev also attended the event.
Rihanoff, 48, said it was “really special” to be at Thursday’s tea party, as she had been introduced to the charity by her dance partner Robin Windsor, who died in February 2024 at the age of 44.
The pair had previously performed a dance together at an event for The Not Forgotten Association.
Veteran Frank Oldham, 106, with an entertainer during a tea party (Aaron Chown/PA)
She said: “When I’m here in this room, it just reminds me of him, it’s just a nice memory.”
Rihanoff added: “It’s always nice to be here, it’s a privilege to be here, it’s really nice.”
Kovalev, 45, said: “It’s my second year but it’s lovely here, the people are lovely and every time you meet new people with interesting stories.”
Frank Oldham, 106, who is thought to be the UK’s oldest veteran, described the event as “fantastic”.
Mr Oldham, who lives in Romford, Essex, said the decorations in St James’s Palace are “amazing”.
Anne, who wore a floral dress and black blazer, is a patron of The Not Forgotten Association, which which recently celebrated its 105th anniversary,
The charity was founded in the wake of the First World War and currently supports 10,000 beneficiaries a year.
Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence met around 200 guests at the event.