Anne praised for stamina and 'soft support' for 75th

THE Princess Royal has been hailed for her nonpolitical royal soft power and "amazing" stamina during her decades of duty ahead of her 75th birthday.

- LAURA ELSTON

Charity leaders who work closely with the King's sister revealed she cares deeply about the state of Britain amid the current challenges facing the world.

As the princess, who lives at Gatcombe in Gloucestershire, approaches her personal milestone on Friday, the woman often labelled the hardest-working royal is said to be, rather than slowing down, doing more than ever.

She has, those who know her recounted in celebration of her birthday, a "wicked wit", a practical approach to problems, and a flair for "not always agreeing" with what they say.

Save the Children UK chief executive Moazzam Malik praised the "self-effacing" princess for her influential "soft support", adding "you can see that she cares" about the state of the nation and the world, and in particular for children experiencing adversity.

Mr Malik said: "Obviously, as a royal, she's not a political figure, but her soft support for us is very inspiring for us as an organisation and for our collaborators and partners."

He added: "She's very low key. She's self-effacing. She doesn't want to kind of take the limelight, but she's very committed... You can see that she cares about the state of Britain and the state of the world.

"There's a lot of challenges for us as a country, and indeed, a lot of challenges for children at a time of great geopolitical challenge. And she cares."

Anne has been involved with Save the Children UK for 55 years, first becoming its president in 1970 in her first ever charity role in the year she turned 20, then as

She positions the royal family in such a great way that people really understand

TANYA CURRY

patron from 2017, taking over from her mother Queen Elizabeth II.