One ‘hardworking’ member of the Royal Family was once praised by a close protection officer as one of the ‘nicest of them all’ and dubbed a total ‘gem’ by the bodyguard

It isn’t often that the public gets to hear what the close protection officers who take care of the Royal Family think about their principals.

But on a major landmark birthday a few years ago, one of the highly trained officers opened up about one member of the House of Windsor, and sung their praises.

In a profile released to mark the ever-popular Princess Anne’s 70th birthday back in 2020, the close protection officer couldn’t have spoken of the Princess Royal more highly, dubbing her a total “gem” and admitting that in their view she was one of the “nicest” members of the Royal Family.

“She’s a gem. Truly one of the nicest and most hardworking of them all,” the CPO told Vanity Fair.

Numbers don’t lie, and Princess Anne was indeed named the hardest-working royal in 2024 – carrying out hundreds of official engagements representing the crown, and it was the fourth year in a row she had earned the title.

Anne admitted to Vanity Fair that her love for getting as much work done as possible does make things a little trickier for her royal aides who have to make sure all the practicalities are attended to.

“I make their lives more difficult in terms of the logistics, I’m afraid, but if I’m going to be in London, I don’t want to be hanging about.

“A lot of stuff goes on here, so there’s a question of filling in the time. I’m fortunate that the program that I make up is a direct result of being asked to do these things. It would be a pity if you didn’t try and do them,” Anne explained.

The protection officer wasn’t the only person willing to sing Anne’s praises for the landmark birthday – another source who spoke to the magazine and has worked closely with the Princess revealed just how personable and easy to get along with Anne can be.

“She’s had me in stitches over some very naughty jokes,” said John McLean, who is chairman of one of Anne’s patronages, the Carers Trust.

McLean also admitted that Anne visits multiple times a year, and some of the trips are undertaken privately too, and he praised the work she has done with the organisation.

Princess Anne will turn 75 this year and shows no signs of slowing down. She is currently on an official solo royal visit to South Africa, where she has visited a wide range of organisations, including the South African Riding for the Disabled Association, and unveiled the new Cape Town Labour Corps Memorial as part of her role as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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