A striking new portrait of Princess Anne has been released to mark her 75th birthday tomorrow. Dressed in a royal blue dress with contrasting bright white detailing and sapphire earrings, the King’s sister playfully smiles at the camera as she stands against an exterior wall of her Gatcombe Park home.
The royal looks relaxed as she tenderly places one hand on a windowsill in the new image, taken by celebrated photographer John Swannell last month. Her hair is in her signature bouffant and she has a pop of colour on her lips.
Anne will mark her milestone birthday privately and is understood to have plans to sail around the Western Isles of Scotland with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. As a result, the couple will not attend any events to mark VJ Day tomorrow.
Anne, who is lauded as the hardest-working royal for the impressive number of engagements she racks up each year, requested that her birthday be focused on her charities rather than herself. So in June, she hosted a special forum for them at Buckingham Palace.
Swannell has been a trusted royal photographer for over 25 years, having been tasked with capturing images of Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry, milestone portraits of Queen Elizabeth for her Gold and Diamond Jubilees, and also took the official photograph for Anne’s 70th birthday.
He took the portrait of Anne at Gatcombe, her Gloucestershire estate, where just over a year ago she was believed to have been struck by a horse.
The princess was treated in intensive care for a concussion and minor head injuries, spending five nights at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Anne, who was back on royal duties less than three weeks later, has said she has no memory of the incident but now views every day as a “bonus”.
Another image of Anne by photographer Chris Jackson was released last week showing the princess in a tiara and gown with Sir Tim on the night of the Windsor Castle state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron.
Last month the Royal Mint unveiled the first official UK coin to honour Anne, created in celebration of her birthday and lifetime of service.