Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, has always been known for her straightforward views on the monarchy. According to royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah, Anne has already outlined how she intends to approach the coming decades of her life.
Speaking on the Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, Nikkhah revealed that the Princess Royal, who turns 75 on August 15, has told her team: “I’m going to start winding down a little bit at 80 in five years’ time, and then I want to step back completely at 90.”
The plan echoes that of her father, Prince Philip, who retired from public life at the age of 96. Yet with a full schedule of engagements still ahead, it seems the Princess has little intention of slowing down just yet.
A caution for the younger generation
Anne’s long-standing reputation as one of the hardest-working royals has also come with candid warnings for the younger generation. In a rare 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, she remarked that efforts to redefine or modernise royal duties had already been tried — and often failed.
“I don’t think this younger generation probably understands what I was doing in the past… Please do not reinvent that particular wheel,” she said. “We’ve been there, done that, some of these things don’t work. You may need to go back to basics.”
Although she didn’t single out specific royals, her comments were widely seen in the context of debates around a streamlined monarchy supported by King Charles and, at the time, Prince William. They also followed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from royal duties and move to the US.
Steadfast dedication
Even as she considers her long-term future, Anne continues to balance hundreds of patronages and military affiliations. Her no-nonsense approach has often drawn comparisons with Prince Philip, reflecting both her loyalty to duty and her reluctance to indulge in new royal “experiments.”
For now, the Princess Royal remains one of the monarchy’s most reliable figures — and, true to form, she shows little interest in softening her message to the generations that will follow her.