The job of accompanying Queen Elizabeth II's funeral cortege on the final leg of its journey to London will once again fall to Princess Anne, the late monarch's only daughter.
The princess is believed to have been at the queen’s bedside, alongside her brother King Charles III, in her final hours.
And she was chosen by the queen herself to travel with the cortege on its long road journey from Balmoral, where the monarch died, to Edinburgh. On Monday, she stood alongside her brothers at a vigil at St Giles' Cathedral in the Scottish capital. On Tuesday night, she will be on board the plane bringing the queen's coffin to London.
The princess, who is regarded to be the hardest-working member of the royal family by the sheer number of engagements she attends, is thought to be much closer to the king than their other siblings. She is therefore expected to play a crucial role in providing him with counsel.
That is partly because of the large age gap between Charles, 73, Anne, 72, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58. There is a decade between the eldest pair and their younger siblings, but only 21 months between Charles and Anne.
The pair are said to have a warm relationship, despite their different personalities.
As a child, Anne was boisterous and noisy, while Charles was quiet and sensitive.
“She didn’t exactly push him aside, but she was certainly a more forceful child,” the former royal nanny, Mabel Anderson, once said.
Her boxing gloves once had to be confiscated when she was at risk of hurting him too much.
Yet they grew close, and their relationship has prospered in recent years. That has led to speculation she may take on an important role as confidante to the king.
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Members of the royal family arrive to attend a vigil at St Giles' Cathedral, in Edinburgh, on Monday for Queen Elizabeth II. AFP -
People queue to enter St Giles' Cathedral where Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrived earlier on Monday. It will rest there for 24 hours to enable the people of Scotland to pay their last respects. AP -
The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, for a service of prayer and reflection. -
The Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke of York leave St Giles' Cathedral after the service of prayer and reflection for the queen's life on Monday. -
The Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, King Charles III and the Queen Consort leave St Giles' Cathedral after the service of prayer and reflection for Queen Elizabeth II's life. -
People attend the procession of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Monday. AP -
The Crown of Scotland sits on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II inside St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. AFP -
King Charles, Princess Royal Anne, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence walk behind the hearse as it moves along the Royal Mile from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty -
King Charles III follows Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as it enters the cathedral for a service of prayer and reflection at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. PA -
King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward follow the hearse carrying the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Reuters -
King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew walk behind the hearse. Reuters -
The Royal Company of Archers, the King's Bodyguard for Scotland, arrive at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. AFP -
The hearse carrying the coffin of the queen travels slowly on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Reuters -
Members of the public gather to watch the procession, from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral, on the Royal Mile. AFP -
Royal guards carry Queen Elizabeth's coffin at the start of the procession. PA -
Royal archers outside St. Giles' Cathedral. Getty -
British Prime Minister Liz Truss attends a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of Queen Elizabeth at St Giles' Cathedral. PA -
Crowds gather near Mercat Cross ahead of the procession in Edinburgh. PA -
King Charles with Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge at the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. PA -
King Charles inspects the Guard of Honour as he arrives for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Getty -
A young girl holds a Paddington bear and a Corgi dog stuffed toys while waiting to watch the procession. Getty -
The Keys of the City of Edinburgh, to be offered to King Charles, during the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. AFP -
Crowds gather to watch the procession in Edinburgh. AP -
King Charles talks with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as he arrives at Edinburgh Airport. Reuters -
A convoy of cars with King Charles heads to Holyroodhouse. AP -
The honour guard outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse. AFP -
Police officers keep guard ahead of the arrival King Charles in Edinburgh. Reuters
The princess, an accomplished horse rider like her mother, is reported to have once described herself as "not everyone's idea of a fairy-tale princess".
"You learn the hard way," she said. "There isn't a school for royalty."
She never sought to please the press, saying she did not "do stunts", and once told photographers to "naff off".
But the princess has earned respect from the way she has been willing to roll her sleeves up and work hard. She carried out 387 royal engagements alone in 2021, two more than the new king.
And the princess has made it clear she has no plans to retire any time soon.
“I don’t think retirement is quite the same [for me]. Most people would say we’re very lucky not to be in that situation because you wouldn’t want to just stop,” she told Vanity Fair to mark her 70th birthday.
"It is, to a large extent, the choice of the organisations you’re involved with and whether they feel you’re still relevant."
She has won the respect of hundreds of charities and organisations throughout her career as a working royal.
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A tribute altar for Queen Elizabeth II in Green Park in London. AFP -
Ann Doran, 6, looks at floral tributes left in Green Park. Reuters -
Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, look at floral tributes on the Sandringham Estate. AFP -
A drawing of the queen and her husband Prince Philip among flowers outside Windsor Castle. AFP -
Members of the public view floral tributes in Green Park, near Buckingham Palace. PA -
People queue on a bridge over the river Thames to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth in London. Reuters -
A member of the public lights a candle at Windsor Parish Church. AFP -
Residents of the Lawn care home in Alton, Hampshire, decorate an area with photographs of Queen Elizabeth, bunting and their own flower arrangements. PA -
Lloyd's of London chief John Neal delivers remarks honouring the life of Queen Elizabeth during a remembrance ceremony in the atrium of the company's offices in London. Getty Images -
Joyce Buckley, a sponge decorator at Emma Bridgewater pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, paints a commemorative mug. PA -
A royalist standing in front of Buckingham Palace. AFP -
Tributes to Queen Elizabeth are viewed at St James's Park in London. Reuters -
Crowds gather outside St. Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile as the queen's coffin passes in Edinburgh. Bloomberg -
Chelsea Pensioners attend a Drumhead service of remembrance, with readings and prayers, in London. Getty Images -
An image of Queen Elizabeth at Green Park Tube station. Reuters -
Vanessa, Anne and Grace, from left to right, wait opposite the Palace of Westminster to be first in line bidding farewell to Queen Elizabeth in London. AP -
A young girl holds Paddington Bear and Corgi stuffed toys while waiting to watch the procession of Queen Elizabeth's coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Reuters -
Well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. Getty Images -
Lloyd Smith paints a portrait of Queen Elizabeth in London. AFP -
A child lays flowers outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. AP -
A family leaves flowers outside Buckingham Palace. EPA -
Flowers and tributes, including sunflowers and a Paddington Bear, are left for Queen Elizabeth at the Green Park memorial in London. AP -
People start to camp on The Mall ahead of Queen Elizabeth's coffin being taken from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon by procession on a Gun Carriage to the Palace of Westminster. PA -
Flowers left in St James's Park, London. PA -
A man with his dog arrive early as they wait to view the cortege carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh. Getty Images -
Members of the public gather on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh to watch the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. PA -
Crowds watch as the hearse continues its journey to the Palace of Holyroodhouse from Balmoral. PA -
The hearse passing over Queensferry Crossing on its way to Edinburgh. PA -
Flowers left at the Sandringham Estate, one of the queen's residences. EPA -
A Paddington Bear teapot at the Sandringham Estate. EPA -
Flowers left at the gates of the Sandringham Estate. EPA -
Flowers, cards and messages left in St James's Park in London. EPA -
People lay flowers at Buckingham Palace in London. Reuters
She is known for her quick wit and dry humour, a trait she shared with the queen.
So when she was the target of a kidnap attempt in 1974 when her car was ambushed, the princess naturally had the perfect quip.
An account released by the National Archives said assailant Ian Ball pointed his gun at Anne and said: "I want you to come with me for a day or two, because I want £2 million ($2.3m).
"Will you get out of the car?"
The princess replied curtly: "Not [expletive] likely ― and I haven't got £2 million."
Two police officers, her chauffeur and a passer-by were shot and wounded.
Like her mother, the princess is a skilled equestrian, and won the 1971 European Eventing Championship. The British public voted her BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
"I certainly saw it as a way of proving that you had something that was not dependent on your family and it was down to you to succeed or fail," she said of her horse-riding career that year.
She competed for Britain in the three-day equestrian event at the 1976 Olympics, but suffered concussion after a bad fall.
“She was that concussed that she couldn’t remember ― and still to this day I believe can’t remember ― the rest of the course,” Anne’s former lady-in-waiting, Jane Holderness-Roddham, a fellow event rider, told the ITV documentary, Anne: The Princess Royal at 70.
She married equestrian Mark Phillips in 1972, in a ceremony watched by an estimated 500 million people.
The princess had two children with the army officer, sports events managing director Peter and equestrian Zara, who married former England rugby captain Mike Tindall. She would follow her parents to the Olympics, winning silver in the team eventing at London 2012.
But neither of her children hold royal titles, after the princess declined an offer from the queen to extend them.
Anne, who supports more than 300 charities, organisations and military regiments, was granted the title of princess royal, traditionally given to the monarch's eldest daughter, in 1987.
Two years later, she split from Mr Phillips and the couple divorced in 1992.
Nine months later, Anne married naval commander Timothy Laurence, a former equerry to the queen.
They wed in Scotland as the Church of England did not permit the remarriage of divorcees.
Admiral Sir Laurence has been at the princess’s side as she has accompanied her mother’s coffin on its journey south.
