Originally appeared on E! Online
Princess Anne is switching up her iconic look.
In a royal portrait released ahead of her 75th birthday, King Charles III’ sister poses alongside her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence—but instead of having her hair styled in her signature bouffant, which she’s rocked over the past five decades, she traded in the voluminous look for an elegant chignon.
Along with the subtle change in hairstyle, the royal also wore a stunning ivory gown with lace detailing on the bodice as well as a cropped jacket and her diamond Festoon Tiara. Meanwhile, Sir Tim sported a black tuxedo with red cuffs as well as several medals of honor pinned to his chest.
“Special to have taken this official portrait for Princess Anne’s Birthday of HRH and Sir Tim at Windsor Castle,” royal photographer Chris Jackson—who also captured Queen Camilla’s portrait for her 78th birthday—wrote alongside the photo on Instagram. “Happy 75th Birthday!”
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The portrait of Princess Anne and Sir Tim, 70, was taken moments before the State Banquet at Windsor Castle—held in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the U.K.—last month, where she first debuted the twisted bun updo.
As for why Anne often opts for a bouffant hairstyle? Well, it’s quick and easy.
“I read an article the other day about Netflix and The Crown, but the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did,” Anne said in the 2020 documentary Princess Royal: Anne at 70, noting that Erin Doherty previously revealed it took the show stylist hours to replicate her signature look on camera. “And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’ I mean, it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.”
After all, Princess Anne—the second child and only daughter to the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip—has been quite busy supporting Charles since he ascended the throne following their mother’ death in September 2022.
"We've been very lucky," Anne told CBC News ahead of Charles’ coronation the following year. "My mother was the queen for a very long time. And although you kind of know that this might happen, you don't really think about it very much—not least of all because the monarchy is about continuity.”
“I think for my brother, you know this is something he's been waiting for, and he's probably spent more time thinking about it,” she continued. “For the rest of us, it's more a question of, OK, we have to shift the way we support, and that's what we need to do."
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One day before her 78th birthday, the royal received the title of Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom from the Royal Navy.
Camilla is the first woman to hold the honorary title, which can only be appointed by the sovereignin this case, her husband King Charles III—on the nomination of the First Sea Lord, who is currently Sir Gwyn Jenkins.
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The Duke of Sussex, who shares kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with Meghan, said that he would love to reconnect with his family. But the ball is in his dad’s court.
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His promotion came nearly seven years after he made a complaint against Meghan Markle, accusing her of bullying two personal assistants and seeking “to undermine” a third staff member. A spokesperson for the Sussexes denied the allegations and told The Times that the rumors were part of a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation.”
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