How Princess Anne's Style Honors Mother Queen Elizabeth's Legacy of 'Being a Woman in a Man's World'

Monique Jessen
·3 min read
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Princess Anne, Princess Royal walks behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown is pulled by a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster on September 14, 2022, in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.
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Martin Meissner - Pool/Getty Princess Anne at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth

Princess Anne wore her military uniform with pride for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen's only daughter wore her Royal Navy ceremonial outfit for her mother's state funeral on Monday, the only female member of the royal family to take part in the historic processions.

"There was something very powerful about seeing a royal woman wearing uniform so proudly during the mourning period," royal style author Bethan Holt tells PEOPLE. "It reminded me of those images of the Queen in her military attire during Trooping the Colour parades earlier in her reign."

Princess Anne joined her siblings to walk directly behind the Queen's coffin on all three processions: From Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey to the service, from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch where the coffin was transferred to the State Hearse and finally a smaller, more emotional procession through the roads of Windsor to St. George's Chapel, the Queen's final place of rest.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne: A Look Back at Their Special Mother-Daughter Relationship

queen elizabeth
queen elizabeth

Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Queen Elizabeth

Anne wore her Royal Navy ceremonial uniform in the rank of Admiral, a navy blue double-breasted jacket with gold buttons, a standing collar edged with gold, a full dress sword belt with three stripes and the traditional white and navy tricorn ceremonial hat.

On her blue sash, 10 medals were pinned to her jacket in addition to prestigious decorations that included the Most Noble Order of the Garter, an order of chivalry and the most senior order of knighthood in the British honors system, and the Royal Victorian Order, which is given by the Queen for extraordinary important or personal services to the sovereign.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, King Charles III, Peter Phillips, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex depart Westminster Abbey after the funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022 in London, England. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Christopher Furlong/Getty Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, King Charles III, Peter Phillips, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex after Queen Elizabeth's funeral service

RELATED: Princess Anne Makes History as Queen Elizabeth's Children Unite for Vigil Beside Her Coffin

"Anne looked empowered and elegant, but I also think she almost carried on that legacy of her mother being a woman in a man's world and rising to the challenges of that," Holt, author of The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style says. "It was such a strong and refreshing alternative to that fairytale princess cliché."

While Princess Anne never served in the military, she has several military honors as is tradition in the royal family, becoming Rear Admiral in 1993, Vice Admiral in 2009 and then Admiral in 2012.

King Charles III and Princess Anne, Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on September 19, 2022 in Windsor, England. The committal service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, took place following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. A private burial in The King George VI Memorial Chapel followed. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.

Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Princess Anne at Windsor on the day of Queen Elizabeth's Funeral

To mark her 70th birthday in 2020, she received a promotion to the rank of General in the British Army and Air Chief Marshall in the Royal Air Force and carries out hundreds of engagements with her military patronages every year.

She also made history as the only royal woman to take part in the Vigil of the Princes at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland where the Queen's children stood watch over the Queen's coffin. She was also the only one of the Queen's three children to accompany her mother's coffin from Scotland to Windsor, via London and back to Windsor Castle.

Britain's King Charles III flanked by Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, walk behind the procession of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral, on the Royal Mile on September 12, 2022, where Queen Elizabeth II will lie at rest. - Mourners will on Monday get the first opportunity to pay respects before the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in an Edinburgh cathedral where King Charles III will preside over a vigil.

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Princess Anne in the royal procession to St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh

The Princess Royal was by her mother's side when she passed away on September 8 at Balmoral Castle.

"I was fortunate enough to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother's life," Anne said in a statement, released by Buckingham Palace on September 14. "It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys."

Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne, Princess Royal attend Royal Ascot Day 1 at Ascot Racecourse
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne, Princess Royal attend Royal Ascot Day 1 at Ascot Racecourse

Samir Hussein/WireImage Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne in 2018

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Perfectly poised and polished, marching side-by-side with her brothers at the funeral on Monday, Princess Anne added one unique and feminine detail to honor her mother: a slick of red lipstick (the Queen's go-to shade) and a pair of pearl earrings.