Princess Anne refused to allow Queen Camilla to break strict royal protocol during joint appearance

Princess Anne showcased just how dedicated she is to royal tradition when she stopped Queen Camilla from breaking protocol during a joint appearance last year.

It's no secret that The Princess Royal loves her job as a royal and has even been frequently dubbed the 'hardest working' of the British monarchy.

Anne, who turns 75 on Friday (15 August), has an endless stream of royal engagements and charitable work under her belt, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

She famously completed the highest number of royal engagements last year - a whopping 474 - which outshone her brother King Charles III's 372.

The second child and only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip kicked off her birthday celebrations last month, not with an elaborate party, but by hosting over 100 of her favourite charities at Buckingham Palace.

As reported by the Telegraph, Anne personally met with as many as 200 guests, thanking them for all their hard work - so, judging by all of this, it's not a surprise that she is strict on royal protocol.

Princess Anne made sure Queen Camilla stuck to royal protocol during a joint engagement last year (Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The moment in question happened back in November 2024 as the duo attended a joint engagement at the University of London’s Foundation Day.

Anne, who is Chancellor of the University of London, awarded Camilla with an honorary doctorate of literature certificate for her ongoing efforts in promoting literature in the UK.

The sisters-in-law arrived to the campus together and were swiftly escorted to the Senate House, where the ceremony was due to take place.

Seemingly to show respect to Anne, Camilla stopped at the doorway and invited her to enter the room first.

However, Anne, who is clued up on her royal rules, 'smiled and politely refused,' according to The Express.

This is because during royal engagements, royals have to follow the 'sequential hierarchy of nominal importance' - let us explain.

It simply establishes a hierarchical ranking of individuals, in this case, this royal family.

So, when entering a room or walking during an engagement, the highest-ranking member of the family should always enter first.

Anne politely declined Camilla's offer of letting her enter the room first during the event (WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Even though Anne is a royal by blood and the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, she still ranks below King Charles’ wife, who is the Queen.

So, keeping to protocol as ever, Anne kindly let her sister-in-law go first and refused to let her break the rule - even if it was out of kindness.

The story resurfacing comes as Buckingham Palace have revealed an early official portrait of Anne, ahead of her milestone birthday.

In the photo, the mother-of-two is posing beside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, 70, to whom she's been married since 1992.

The Princess Royal donned a stunning ivory gown, adorned with lace detailing on the bodice, with she'd paired with a cropped jacket.