Princess Anne makes first official appearance with new lady-in-waiting Dolly Maude

The Princess Royal was joined by one of her new ladies-in-waiting for the first time on Monday afternoon. 

Arriving for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, Princess Anne was accompanied by Dolly Maude, marking a sweet milestone moment for the pair.

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Dolly, 51, was dressed in a chic tweed coat dress with gold statement buttons, which was styled further with a pale off-white purse and dark leather gloves. She also added a Tudor-style headpiece to her overall look. 

Meanwhile, Princess Anne looked delightful in a red overcoat which was worn over a teal blue below-the-knee dress and a matching hat. 

Last month, Buckingham Palace confirmed Princess Anne had welcomed three new ladies in waiting - including Dolly. She is the best friend to Anne's daughter Zara Tindall and the midwife, who helped to deliver her son Lucas at home in 2021. 

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Mike Tindall previously opened up about their son's birth on his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby after he arrived quicker than expected. "Fortunately Zara's friend Dolly is, she's actually more important than I am at making sure she's been at all three of my children's births," he said. 

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"She was there and recognised that we wouldn't have got to the hospital in time, so it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, towels down, brace brace brace." 

It's no wonder Mike and Zara would want Dolly at the births of their children since she has worked as a maternity practitioner for the NHS in Gloucestershire for 13 years. It's also been reported that Dolly has also worked on the maternity unit of a hospital in Sierra Leone, teaching staff basic nursing and theatre skills during a one-month stint. 

Not only that, Dolly was also Zara's maid of honour at her 2011 wedding to rugby star Mike.

Princess Anne's other new ladies-in-waiting are Lady Elizabeth Leeming and Mrs Susan Rhodes, who were appointed to the late Queen in 2017. In total, the 73-year-old is said to have 11 Ladies-in-Waiting, one of whom accompanies her on official engagements.