The Princess Royal celebrates her big day on 15 August

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, has posed for an official portrait ahead of her 75th birthday on 15 August, taken with her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, during the French state visit banquet at Windsor Castle in July

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The Royal Family have celebrated Princess Anne’s upcoming 75th birthday with a new portrait of the Princess Royal and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. The King’s sister wore her favourite tiara in the photograph, which was taken by Chris Jackson ahead of the Windsor Castle banquet held in honour of President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte during the French state visit in July.

Known for her pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to royal style, Princess Anne donned a high glamour getup for the banquet. Stepping out in a Maureen Baker gown and bejewelled white bolero (previously seen in another birthday portrait back when the Princess Royal celebrated her 70th in 2020), Anne traded her signature French twist hairstyle for a high-volume side bun, upon which sat one of her favourite tiaras, a jewel in the crown of her illustrious collection.

A part of the Princess’s jewellery box since 1973, the diamond Festoon Tiara holds a special place in her heart. Originally, it came as a gift from the World Wide Shipping Group, which presented Anne with the piece after she launched the ‘World Unicorn’ tanker in May. The tiara would take on a special significance because of the events that followed later that month, however, when the Princess Royal announced her engagement to Mark Phillips. As for the tiara’s public debut, that came in yet another birthday portrait, this time in a series of photographs taken by Lord Lichfield to commemorate her 23rd birthday.

Peter Phillips announced that he would be tying the knot with Harriet Sperling last Friday

 

Princess Anne also wore the Festton Tiara to pose for portraits by Norman Parkinson at Windsor Castle ahead of her wedding day, as well as for the photograph that would be used as the cover for the couple’s wedding service on her big day at Westminster Abbey. In the first set of portraits, Anne paired the tiara with her Festoon necklace, an 18th birthday gift from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, which she also donned 57 years later for this new 75th birthday portrait.

The Princess Royal also wore her diamond Festoon tiara during Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee Gala in 1977

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Throughout the decades of her famously dedicated royal career, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip has worn the tiara for a host of engagements, including a host of international state visits and the late Queen’s Silver Jubilee gala in Covent Garden in 1977. Anne lent the piece out to her son Peter Phillips’ bride, Autumn Kelly, ahead of their Windsor Castle wedding in 2008. Most recently, the Princess Royal has worn the tiara and the necklace to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee during the state visit banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2023 – and, of course, the French banquet in 2025.

The Princess Royal lent the Festoon tiara to her husband’s former wife, Autumn Kelly, for her wedding to Peter Phillips in 2008

 Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
Jackson – a royal photographer who has previously worked with Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – posted the new portrait to his Instagram account, alongside a heartfelt caption paying tribute to the Princess Royal. ‘Special to have taken this official portrait for Princess Anne’s Birthday of HRH and Sir Tim at Windsor Castle,’ he wrote, ‘Happy 75th Birthday!’

With a scandalous history, the Castle was claimed by the Queen Mother in the 1950s, and has been a royal favourite ever since

It is not the only way that the Royal Family have marked the occasion – though Princess Anne herself reportedly only likes to make a fuss for years that end in zero, never in five. The Royal Mint coin designer Thomas T. Docherty created a special coin featuring a portrait of the Princess Royal for the big day. Having previously designed a similar piece for the Prince of Wales’ 40th birthday, Docherty used an official portrait of Princess Anne by John Swannell, in which she wears the Aquamarine Pineflower tiara, originally a gift from King George VI to the Queen Mother to mark their Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1948. The coin is engraved with the phrase ‘The Princess Royal – Celebrating 75 years – Duty and devotion’ alongside Anne’s official coat of arms.

Rebecca Morgan, the Royal Mint’s Director of Commemorative Coin, spoke of why the official maker of British coins felt the need to honour Princess Anne on her birthday. ‘For the first time in British numismatic history, we are honoured to celebrate The Princess Royal on an official UK coin,’ she said. ‘Her Royal Highness’s unwavering commitment to public service, charitable work, and support of His Majesty’s Armed Forces over seven and a half decades makes her truly deserving of this tribute.

‘The graceful design by Thomas Docherty perfectly captures both her dignified presence and extraordinary legacy while also celebrating The Princess Royal’s 75th birthday.’