Despite being born less than two years apart, King Charles and Princess Anne have had well-documented differences over the years.
With contrasting interests, attitudes and fates, the siblings have led separate adult lives and at one stage seemed bonded only by circumstance.
But the King’s BBC Boxing Day documentary not only put Princess Anne, 73, front and centre, but showed just how close the pair had become – and how much the King, 75, depends on her.
After greeting her big brother with a playful ‘Hello, Old Bean’, Princess Anne explained what it was like for Charles to spend his life waiting to ascend to the throne, and how hard he’d found preparing for the Coronation.
Speaking openly and with humour, Anne described Charles’s feelings after the event as “an actor who comes off stage having done a performance that they really put a lot into. It’s that kind of relief”.
This was insight no other could offer and showed a great level of understanding.
It hasn’t always been this way – Anne is more outgoing and extroverted than Charles, she was close to their father, Prince Philip, and has a distinct love for horses.
She’s been known for her brutal, no-nonsense honesty whereas her brother is more diplomatic and quieter.
One thing the pair have always had is their hard-working nature, sense of duty and dedication to the Crown; last year Anne carried out 457 engagements while Charles notched up 425 according to The Daily Telegraph.
They’ve also both got a sharp sense of humour.
As they’re much older than Princes Andrew and Edward, they too knew their mother before she was Queen and rather fittingly, it was the eldest children who were by their mother’s side just before her death at Balmoral.
The deaths of their parents seem to have heightened their bond; they are thought to trust each other implicitly and Anne is increasingly being called Charles’s right-hand woman.
Once third in line to the throne, it could be argued that she’s the only person who could truly know what Charles endured as he waited to be King, and now he has her unwavering support.
Princess Anne will fly to Sri Lanka for the first Royal tour of 2024 next week.
