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Princess Anne, Princess Royal attends the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall during a State visit by the King and Queen of Spain on July 13, 2017 in London, England. © Getty

Concern for Princess Anne as she misses Coronation Concert

Daughter Zara Tindall was there

Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
May 8, 2023
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The royal family were out in force on Sunday evening to attend the highly-anticipated Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were the guests of honour in the royal box, where they were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and the Duke of Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex. 

Mike and Zara Tindall, who enjoyed a date night out without their three children, were spotted singing along to the acts, including Lionel Richie's performance of All Night Long.

And Princess Beatrice and Eugenie were also in high spirits as they soaked up the atmosphere with their respective husbands. Watch all the highlights in our 30 second video below...

But there was one notable absentee – Princess Anne.

King Charles III and the Princess Royal attending church looking jolly© Getty
King Charles III and the Princess Royal

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Anne, 72, took on an incredibly poignant role at the coronation itself.

As Gold-Stick-in-Waiting, Anne essentially acted as the King's bodyguard and was entrusted with the King's safety.

Princess Anne wore robes and military attire at the coronation
Princess Anne wore robes and military attire at the coronation

She was pictured leading a procession of armed forces personnel behind to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's carriage on horseback as they left Westminster Abbey and returned to Buckingham Palace.

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But she chose not to attend Sunday’s concert, despite the presence of all major royals.

Princess Anne rides on horseback behind the gold state coach carrying the newly crowned King and Queen Consort © Getty
Princess Anne rode on horseback behind the gold state coach carrying the newly-crowned King and Queen

Ever the pragmatist, Anne is likely to have made the decision for reasons of distance and efficiency.

Earlier on Sunday, she had made a surprise appearance at a coronation street party in Swindon.

Princess Anne speaks with residents as they hold a Coronation street party© Leon Neal
Princess Anne attended a Coronation street party in Swindon on Sunday

Princess Anne visited a Big Lunch street party in Belmont Crescent, near Old Town, alongside Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and spoke to the people who organised the event as well as dozens of attendees.

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Jeremy Holt, member of the organising committee for the Big Lunch street party, said: “I am in awe of the number of official engagements that Her Royal Highness performs each year.

Princess Anne presents a young girl with a commemorative tin of old coins as she visits a Coronation street party in Swindon© Leon Neal
Princess Anne presents a young girl with a commemorative tin of old coins at the street party

"I was also particularly impressed that, as this was a sharing lunch, she brought with her a personal contribution of food to the lunch.”

The Princess Royal also gave children at the party a commemorative tin as a memento of the day.

Children view the contents of their commemorative tin after being presented them by Princess Anne during her visit to a Coronation street party in Swindon© Leon Neal
Children view the contents of their commemorative tins from Princess Anne

Adorned with the Coronation logo on the outside, the tins contained text explaining when and where they were presented, as well as a collection of British and foreign coins and bank notes. 

After such a busy 24 hours, Anne perhaps then couldn’t face the drive back to London - not least because she is scheduled for another appearance on Sunday back in Swindon.

princess anne smiling husband
Princess Anne and her husband

Both she and her husband are attending a community street party as part of the Big Help Out.

Princess Charlotte waves her flag during King Charles' coronation concert© WPA Pool
Princess Charlotte waves her flag during King Charles' coronation concert

Festivities will continue on the Monday bank holiday to celebrate the King’s coronation.

Queen Camilla wears a blue coat dress as she waves to the crowd. Alongside the Queen are King Charles III, and Baroness Scotland, right, and Prince George and Prince William, left© Chris Jackson
King Charles and Queen Camilla will not be appearing on Monday

The King and Queen will not be appearing publicly on Monday – the day of the Big Help Out, which is billed as a lasting volunteering legacy to mark Charles’s crowning.

The public have been encouraged to take up hundreds of thousands of volunteering roles on the extra bank holiday with more than 1,500 charities involved.

Zara Tindall chose a bold green ensemble© Getty
Zara and Mike Tindall attended the coronation concert

An app has been created to allow people to search for volunteering opportunities, ranging from helping the elderly to working with environmental charities and supporting animal welfare.

Savannah and Isla with their dad and his partner, Lindsay Wallace© Getty
Duchess Sophie was in high spirits

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “While wholly supportive of the Big Help Out initiatives taking place right across Britain on Monday May 7, (the King and Queen) will not be attending any events in-person. These will instead be attended by other members of the royal family.”

George and William enjoying a giggle© Getty
George and William enjoying a giggle

The extra bank holiday, which will take place across the UK, caps off a long weekend of celebrations.

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi joined family in the Royal Box© Getty
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi joined family in the Royal Box

Sunday night’s concert featured actors, singers and entertainers – and Kermit the Frog who managed to gatecrash the royal box.

 Katy Perry performs on stage during the Coronation Concert © Chris Jackson
Katy Perry performed on the night

Take That, billed as pop “royalty”, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie brought the house down and got the royal family on their feet and dancing – including Charles and Camilla – during the 95-minute extravaganza.

Prince William paid tribute to his father, the King, and the late Queen Elizabeth II© Getty
Prince William paid tribute to his father, the King, and the late Queen Elizabeth II

And the Prince of Wales gave the most passionate tribute of the night, telling his father before 20,000 spectators: “Pa, we are all so proud of you.”

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