Princess Anne's niche hobby explains a lot about her
Balmoral is a special place for the royal family, with Princess Eugenie saying of their Highland estate: "It's the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny [was] the most happy there. I think she really, really love[d] the Highlands."
King Charles loves it too, as he's able to hike the hills with Queen Camilla, but Princess Anne has a more specialist reason as to why she loves to spend the summer in Scotland.
The Princess Royal is a keen pharologist – that's a lighthouse lover, to you and I – and has shared a desire to visit all of the lighthouses in Scotland.
Princess Anne is patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, and even penned an introduction to a book on the topic in 2015, writing of the "remoteness and exceptional natural beauty" of lighthouses.
Always dedicated to her work, Princess Anne shows a keen interest in her patronage, with retired Northern Lighthouse Board Manager John Pirie exclusively telling HELLO!: "I have met Princess Anne a couple of times and she loves spending time on Northern Lighthouse Board ships where there is a cabin with her name on a brass plaque on the door.
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"She is also renowned for sailing her yacht on the West Coast of Scotland," John continues. "As part of the Royal family, Princess Anne spent time on Britannia in the Western Isles going ashore on the islands around Barra for picnics."
Keen to understand the beautiful sites Princess Anne could visit on her quest to tick off all the Scottish lighthouses, HELLO! quizzed John on the lighthouse that should be top of the royal's list.
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"Top of any pharologist's list has to be the majestic lighthouse tower of Skerryvore," John, who is Director of the Hynish Trust, says.
"This beautiful granite lighthouse sits 11 miles from the island of Tiree on the west coast of Scotland. It was designed and built between 1838-1844 by the renowned Alan Stevenson. It is Scotland's tallest lighthouse standing 48 metres tall.
"Views of Skerryvore are spectacular but if you are lucky enough to see it up close it truly is a sight to behold!"
Advising on how best to bear witness to the majestic lighthouse, John notes: "To gain the full Skerryvore experience, a visit to Hynish Shore station on Tiree is a must.
"This location was purpose built for the building of Skerryvore and includes a harbour with reservoir and sluice, workshops, stores, a quarry, accommodation and an impressive signal tower.
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"Almost 200 years since it was built, this beautiful lighthouse still stands tall in the Atlantic Ocean keeping mariners safe."
Of what Princess Anne can expect on her visit, John shares that there's a museum and an inn for the royal to stop in at for lunch. "The restaurant at Alan Stevenson House provides lunches and dinners with delicious local produce such as fresh lobster, langoustines and crab. The whole Skerryvore experience is well worth the trip and not to be missed if you have an interest in lighthouses."
