For many years, Princess Anne topped the “hardest working royal” list, only being beaten to the top spot last year by her brother, the King. Despite being in her eighth decade, the famously no-nonsense royal, 75, regularly carries out three to five official engagements a day and rarely takes time off. But not everyone is impressed by her work ethic!
In fact, Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall is so concerned that palace sources tell Woman’s Day she’s “putting her foot down” in a bid to get her mum to slow down a little.
“Anne might still be working like she’s 25, but her daughter has decided enough is enough,” reports an insider.
“She keeps reminding her mother there’s really no need at her age to fill her diary every day.”
Mike’s family health update
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Anne doesn’t agree. As far as the Princess Royal is concerned, she’ll work until she’s unable to – just like her late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Zara’s concern comes from seeing what her husband Mike is going through. Last week, the former England rugby captain shared a heartbreaking update on his father Philip’s battle with Parkinson’s disease, revealing he’s “not doing great at the moment”.
In the interview, Mike said two decades of dealing with the condition had taken its toll on his dad, who worked as a banker before his diagnosis in 2002.
The reality of the disease
“Parkinson’s is brutal, and there’s no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people,” Mike tells.
“It has honestly left him a shell of what he once was.”
According to our source, while there was nothing Mike, 47, could’ve done to halt the progressive brain disorder, he still has regrets not being able to help his dad remain fit and healthy.
Zara’s growing concern
“This has really shaken Zara,” we’re told.
“She sees what Parkinson’s is doing to Mike’s family and it’s sparked even more of an urge to keep her mum healthy. “She’s been supporting him through the tears and the worry, but it’s also made her look at her own mum and dad with more caution.”
Zara hopes Anne slows down
Since last September, Anne has been on four royal trips and she heads to Greece for a three-day visit this week. While there, she’ll participate in ceremonies to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Crete. But Zara, 45, hopes Anne also uses the opportunity to take it easy and revive herself a little in the Greek sun.
“After Anne’s accident in 2024, Zara is hoping her mother has a bit of respite,” our insider says.
“The air and sea are incredibly reviving. She and her brother Peter count their blessings over their mum’s astonishing stamina, but seeing Mike’s heartbreak over his father has made Zara more determined than ever to push back on the royal schedule and insist her mum takes a break.”
Closer than ever
She has Mike’s full support and, if anything, the situation has brought them closer than ever.
“Zara’s the only one who can cheer him up if he dwells too long on his dad and he’s the only person who understands the worry she has for her own mum,” says our source.
And Zara isn’t the only person concerned about Anne’s heavy workload. Last week, Robert Piper, a 100-year-old D-Day veteran who attended the latest Buckingham Palace garden party, offered the princess some unsolicited advice, telling her, “You’ve got to slow down!”
Royal wedding drama: Anne’s stern warning to Harry!
Weddings bring out the best and worst in families – even royal ones! But with Prince Harry left off the guest list to his cousin Peter Phillips’ upcoming nuptials, the drama is really kicking off.
“Harry is blaming everyone but himself for why he’s not invited, when literally every family member will be there having a great time,” spills a royal insider.
“He’s been telling friends he’s hurt and that the family is being unfair.”
But now word’s got out to Anne about Harry’s whinge and she’s sent a private warning to her nephew, telling him “not to cause dramas”!
Our source says, “She’s made it clear to Harry that she will not tolerate any nonsense. This is Peter’s day, a private family occasion, and any public sulking, leaks to the press or playing the victim will not be tolerated.”
While she understands Harry, 41, feels stung as he and Peter, 48, were once close, the whole family is wary of the drama “the Harry and Meghan show” would bring. Peter and pediatric nurse Harriet Sperling (inset), 45, will tie the knot in a quiet country church ceremony on 6 June. And Harry can take comfort that he’s not the only shunned family member – disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are banned too.
