This "Dominant" Member of the Royal Family "Is a Great Solace" to Prince William as Future King
"They’re the stronghold."
When he becomes King, Prince William will have a much smaller number of royal relatives to support him than Queen Elizabeth did when she took the throne. Along with his aunts and uncles, his core group of working royals will likely be limited to Princess Kate and their three children. But on Thursday, March 4, the Prince of Wales joined Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie for a memorial service honoring a close family friend, showing his close bond with the Princess Royal.
The trio traveled to Wales to attend a memorial for the late Shân Legge-Bourke, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne and was a longtime friend of the Royal Family. Shân’s daughter, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, was Prince William and Prince Harry’s longtime nanny, and the Prince of Wales made it a priority to attend the event alongside his family.
Speaking to Betfair Casino, body language expert Darren Stanton says that the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne have a natural rapport. “The dynamic between the pair is fantastic,” he shares. While Prince William—who stopped to chat to students while walking back to their helicopter—is “always asking questions and having banter with crowds,” Stanton shares that his aunt has a different communication style.
Prince William is pictured with Princess Anne and the Duke of Gloucester on Garter Day 2025.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, Duchess Sophie and Princess Anne are pictured at the Duchess of Kent's funeral in September 2025.
Prince William rides alongside Princess Anne at Trooping the Colour 2017.
“Princess Anne is a very dominant person—not bossy—but likes to interact with people and has a no nonsense attitude like her mother, The [late] Queen,” he shares. For William, the Princess Royal is a steady sense of support as he approaches his Kingship.
Hard-working Anne regularly tops the list of royals with the most engagements each year, and at age 75, she shows no signs of slowing down. With her “no-nonsense” advice and decades of experience as a working royal, the Princess of Royal will no doubt be one member of the family her nephew can rely on.
“William and Anne are the future of the monarchy, as well as Kate, Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward,” Stanton says. “They’re the stronghold.” He adds, “Predominantly, Anne is a great solace to William.”
