How Princess Anne mirrored The Queen’s moving gesture to Princess Diana in a new tribute to her late mother

As The Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne had a special bond with her mother. Their love of horses and unwavering work ethic are just two characteristics that the women shared.

Following the monarch’s tragic death, Her Majesty has officially begun her final journey back to London.

In what was part of Operation Unicorn, on Sunday, The Queen’s coffin was driven from Balmoral, her place of death, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where she will be laid to rest in the Throne room.

As the Royal Regiment of Scotland carried the oak coffin into The Queen’s official Scottish residence, Princess Anne, 72, watched on and paid tribute to her dearly departed mother in the sweetest way.

In an elegant fashion, Anne bowed her head and fell into what might be her last deep curtsy for her mother.

The gesture was made even more poignant by the fact it mirrored exactly how Queen Elizabeth II greeted Princess Diana’s coffin during her funeral in 1997, where she bowed her head as a sign of respect.

There to comfort Anne was another one of The Queen’s closest confidantes, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who is married to the late monarch’s youngest son, Prince Edward.

Sophie was pictured rubbing her sister-in-law’s back during the sombre and emotional occasion.

Also in attendance was Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, as well as The Queen’s second and third sons, the disgraced Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.

It was recently controversially announced that the embattled Prince Andrew will take ownership of the longest-reigning-monarch’s beloved corgis, along with his ex wife Sarah Ferguson.

The Duke of York’s spokesperson said he and Sarah, Duchess of York, will look after Muick and Sandy – the two dogs Queen Elizabeth II was gifted.

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth II loved her corgis. Article continues after video

Prince Andrew gave his mother Muick, a corgi, and Fergus, a dorgi, during lockdown in 2021.

When Fergus died in May 2021, Prince Andrew’s daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice gifted their grandmother another corgi named Sandy.

“The corgis will return to live at Royal Lodge [on the Windsor Estate] with the Duke and Duchess,” a source close to Prince Andrew told the BBC.

Profile Catie Powers

Catie Powers is a digital journalist and a lover of all things fashion, beauty, reality TV and royals. She also manages the print-to-digital relationship for The Australian Women's Weekly.