While Princess Anne’s devotion to the Firm has seen her through 75 years of service to the royal family, it seems some of the ways her nephew Prince William conducts his royal duties are starting to grate on the Princess Royal

A friend of Princess Anne’s has claimed one key decision, made by Prince William, is starting to “annoy” the Princess Royal (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Princess Anne has long been dubbed the hardest working member of the royal family, attending countless events as a representative of the Firm. Just last week, her long service to the royal family was marked with a commemorative coin issued by The Royal Mint, to honour her “unwavering commitment” to the Palace.

While the Princess Royal has been King Charles ’ righthand woman for much of his life, supporting the monarchy in any way, it has been reported that a decision made by her nephew, Prince William, is beginning to “annoy” Anne. A source close to Anne has shared that as William continues in his role as Prince of Wales, his aunt would like one thing to change.

A decision made by Prince William is beginning to “annoy” Princess Anne(Image: Getty Images for Kensington Pala)

The source tole The Times that Anne would like to see William do more “bread and butter” royal engagements, clarifying that it is only her, the King and William that perform the investitures, the formal ceremonies where those who have been awarded a royal honour receive their insignia.

While some of these ceremonies take place in Buckingham Palace, many are held at Windsor Castle, near the Prince of Wales’ home of Adelaide Cottage. A source close to Anne told the publication: “She’s still doing most of the investitures [at Windsor] even though William lives there. It annoys her.”

The Royal Family’s official website notes that around 30 Investitures are held each year, with over 60 recipients attending each ceremony, with the site saying: “Investitures also happen occasionally at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, or overseas during State or Royal visits. Investitures are hosted by The King, The Princess Royal and The Prince of Wales.”

The royal source claimed that Anne would like to see Prince William do more “bread and butter” royal engagements(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Elsewhere in the interview, the close friend of Princess Anne spoke about her other nephew, Prince Harry, and shared that the Duke of Sussex should reach out to his aunt to better forge a path to reconciliation with the royal family at large.

Renewed speculation over a reunion between Prince Harry and the Firm came after senior aides to both Harry and King Charles were spotted at a private meeting in London, leading many to believe that peace talks between the estranged father and son could be on the cards.

While many are hoping for a royal reunion, a source close to Anne claimed that the reconciliation could be helped by the Princess Royal, given the parallels between her life and Harry’s.

Anne, who was also known as the “spare” behind her brother Charles, could have key insight into the Sussexes mindset over leaving the royal family, as the source told the Times: “He really ought to talk to Princess Anne.

A friend of Princess Anne’s believes that Prince Harry should reach out to his aunt to forge a path to reconciliation with the royal family(Image: Getty Images)

“She often talked about how, as children, she was treated so differently from Charles. She was second to him and kicked further down the line of succession as a woman, but she forged her own path. In her twenties she was bolshy and upset about a lot of things, but she came through that. He should talk to her about her experiences. She is shrewd. She could tell him a lot about what she went through.”

The Princess Royal is often regarded as the ‘hardest working’ member of the royal family, clocking up 474 engagements last year, with King Charles completing 372 in comparison. Princess Anne has been a cornerstone in the King’s slimmed-down working monarchy, and has played a big role by stepping up in support of Charles amid his cancer diagnosis.