Inside Princess Anne's incredibly close relationship with her brother King Charles

Princess Anne is celebrating her 74th birthday! Whilst we don't know how the royal will be marking her special day, we imagine that she'll be surrounded by loved ones at her idyllic Gatcombe Park estate.

Her brother King Charles will no doubt be chief among those sending well wishes alongside the likes of Anne's husband Sir Timothy Laurence, her two children Zara and Peter and her siblings Andrew and Edward.

Musing on their bond, HELLO!'s Online Royal correspondent Danielle Stacey tells us: "The Princess Royal has always been a dedicated and hardworking member of the British monarchy, but purely from an observer's point of view, it seems like her relationship with the King has deepened.

"Anne was given a starring role as the King's Gold Stick-in-Waiting at his coronation and was seen greeting newly-crowned Charles back at Buckingham Palace with the words 'Hello, old bean'. Despite having a heavy workload of her own, Anne has increased her engagements in recent months to support her brother and the Princess of Wales as they continue their respective cancer treatments."

As Anne's birthday celebrations get underway, join us as we take a closer look at the mother-of-two's incredibly close bond with her brother, King Charles.

Their playful relationship

With just 21 months between them, Charles and Anne have long shared a special bond. They grew up together at Buckingham Palace whilst their parents were frequently busy travelling, and it seems their relationship has certainly stood the test of time.

Whilst the pair appeared to have a hoot in their youth, Charles and Anne have maintained a sense of playfulness in their relationship. In recent years, Anne has bestowed on her brother a charming nickname which only came to light earlier this year during the monarch's Coronation celebrations.

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In footage from the BBC's documentary titled Charles III: The Coronation Year, Princess Anne was filmed filtering through Buckingham Palace ahead of the royal family's memorable balcony appearance. At one point, the royal made a beeline for her brother, before calling out: "Hello, old bean."

While the pair clearly take their royal duties seriously, they aren't afraid to occasionally let their hair down. Over the years they've been spotted roaring with laughter at Buckingham Palace, during the Braemar Games and during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

A shared passion for horse riding

Princess Anne and King Charles are keen equestrians! Their shared passion runs deep in the family and was no doubt passed down to them by their mother Queen Elizabeth II who adored riding.

The Princess Royal is an accomplished horsewoman. She was the first British royal to compete at the Olympics, participating in the 1976 Games in Montreal, and also competed in multiple European Three-Day Event Championships, clinching gold and silver medals.

Reflecting on her mother's passion for horses, Zara told People: "There's always horse conversation going on. Our horses are in our family, so there's always discussions about performances and things like that."

The monarch, meanwhile, had a huge passion for playing polo - a hobby he likely inherited from his father. He played his first major game aged 17 and played for Les Diables Bleus and the Maple Leafs as well as for national sides. He nonetheless retired from the sport in 2005 after playing for over 40 years.

A shared passion for gardening

Charles and Anne are also both keen gardeners. The sibling duo bonded over gardening in their youth during their time at Buckingham Palace.

During a conversation with Simon Armitage on Radio 4's The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Charles shared: "My sister and I had a little vegetable patch in the back of some border somewhere. We had great fun trying to grow tomatoes rather unsuccessfully and things like that."

He went on to say: "There was a wonderful Head Gardener at Buckingham Palace, he was called Mr Nutbeam, rather splendidly. He was splendid and he helped us a bit, my sister and I with the little garden we had."

Charles has utilised his gardening skills at his numerous royal residences, including Highgrove House which is home to The Highgrove Garden. Charles even designed a garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2001, titled the Carpet Garden, which took home silver-gilt medal.

The monarch's right-hand woman

Anne once described herself as the "eyes and ears" of the monarchy. Following her brother's accession to the throne, she has been one of Charles's most trusted aides and an unwavering pillar of support. During His Majesty's coronation, Anne took on the role of Charles' Gold-Stick-in-Waiting - a formal bodyguard position.

She resumed her role as the monarch's bodyguard in November 2023 during the State Opening of Parliament.