Queen’s death has ‘affected Princess Anne greatly’ reveals her former butler

The Queen’s death has “affected Princess Anne greatly,” a former royal butler said.

The Princess Royal, the Queen’s only daughter, “works so hard and doesn’t ask for anything in return” to honour both her mum and dad Prince Philip, according to Paul Burrell.
This Sunday marks two years since the UK’s longest-reigning monarch passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral, and Mr Burrell believes the family, including Anne, will gather at the same Scottish location to remember her.

The former butler to the family said: “(It) affected Anne greatly, being the only daughter, and she’s carrying her mother’s mantle in many ways, very stoic, hard working, dedicated to the country. Anne is the best Queen we never had, because she is very much like Prince Philip, obviously has his mannerisms and his ways, but has her mother’s heart, and that’s why she works so hard and doesn’t ask for anything in return, because that’s her job, and she understands it.”

In private, they are expected to honour her memory with a dinner where King Charles III will likely make a toast. The public can anticipate seeing the royals attending church on Sunday, marking a “sombre” and “poignant” time for them.

Burrell emphasised the significance of Balmoral to the late Queen, stating: “The 8th of September will be that day we all have, we will all remember the Queen, and I think it was so perfect that she did pass at Balmoral, the place where she loved raising her family with Prince Philip, and they had such happy times.”

He added: “I think they will probably have a dinner in memory of the Queen, and her son, King Charles III, will make a toast, because [the fact she reigned] for 70 years just can’t go unmarked. I think the family will all be there to mark it in private.”

Mr Burrell said: “I think (this year in Balmoral will be particularly poignant for Charles) because it’s two years into being king, two years since his mother died. Balmoral is a very poignant place, because time stands still and our dear Queen casts a long shadow over everything. Especially for the family, and especially Balmoral because she was a larger than life presence that filled Balmoral castle. I bet they see her around every corner, and remember the things that she did. They’ll remember everything that she did within the castle because she loved Balmoral.”
The former Royal butler also spoke of Balmoral’s timeless connection with the Queen, noting: “That’s the generational thing, is that there’s always a one event that you remember where you were, because in my generation, it’s ‘Where you were when you heard Diana died? ‘,” he said.

He added: “The generation before it was ‘Where were you when you heard Kennedy had been shot? ‘ Now, it’s ‘Where were you when you heard the news that the Queen had died? ‘. For 70 years, she was monarch. Her 70 years reign ended at Balmoral, two years ago, and that’s why Balmoral is still so special in the royals’ world, because Balmoral was close to the Queen’s heart.”

“As I said, her shadow is a very long one, even in death, I think Balmoral might as well be bigger than Brigadoon, because time stands still. Here, this special place is remembered as the Queen’s home, and two years on, the Royals will be thinking about that. Of course they will, and they’ll go to church, and they’ll all think about their mother, their grandmother, their aunt, or their queen. And it didn’t just affect the royal family, it affected the country and all the people that worked on the estate who loved her. So it’s a very sombre, poignant time and it will be for many years to come.”.