King Charles was overcome with emotion when his sister, Princess Anne publicly vowed to support him throughout the entirety of his reign in a revealing new interview during a royal tour of South Africa last week.
A VOW TO SERVE
“I don’t think there’s a retirement program on this particular life,” the Princess Royal, 74, who is regarded as the hardest working member of the royals, told the Press Association when asked if she has plans to scale back.
“It really isn’t written in, no. It isn’t really an option, no, I don’t think so.”
With just 21 months between them, Charles, 76, and Anne have long shared a special and playful bond, with Anne lovingly nicknaming the King “old bean”.
But never has their close-knit relationship been more evident than this week when Anne confirmed that she’ll continue working, despite suffering a near fatal horseriding accident last year.

“You’re jolly lucky… if you can continue to be more or less compos mentis [of sound mind] and last summer I was very close to not being,” Anne said of the accident, which saw her airlifted to hospital after being kicked in the head by her horse.
“Take each day as it comes, they say.”
She said there were no lasting ill-effects, but added, “You are sharply reminded that every day is a bonus really.”
HIS STRENGTH & STAY

Last year was incredibly tough for both Anne and Charles, who has continued to rule while receiving treatment for prostate cancer. Having Anne support him has meant the world.
“Charles can’t bear the thought his sister might feel obligated to continue working because of his health issues, but in private he’s simply overjoyed that she’ll be there with him until the end,” a royal aide shares with Woman’s Day.
The conversation they had about that was unusually emotional for Charles and he did break down in tears over her lifelong loyalty to him.
“Camilla might be the love of his life, but Anne’s his greatest and most reliable confidante. She’s always been there for him, no matter how many times he messed up. She’s more than just a sister to him, she’s someone he’s always been able to lean on and frankly he simply can’t rule without her by his side,” adds the source.

In true Anne style, she told Charles to “dry your tears, buck up and get on with the job”!
As expected, Anne has little time for dwelling on emotions – one of the many reasons why she’s been so important to him.
Since the Queen’s death, Anne’s the only one with the ability to tell him uncomfortable truths and pull him back from any emotional distractions.
Camilla’s in charge of his heart, but Anne has his head and is there for him.
“For Anne, this wasn’t about Charles being sick at all. She takes her role as his sovereign bodyguard very seriously and she plans on working right up to her death, just like her mum.”