Princess Anne’s ‘all-consuming’ distraction as she becomes the last royal to experience unique heartbreak

Princess Anne’s “all-consuming” distraction has been revealed by a royal expert as she’s now become the last royal to experience a unique heartbreak.

• The Princess Royal marked her first birthday since Queen Elizabeth’s death on 15th August and was the last royal to do so.

• The first anniversary of the late Queen’s death is also approaching, though it’s claimed Princess Anne’s grandchildren will help her to “focus” on the future.

• This royal news comes as Princess Mary re-wore her favourite off-duty denim shirt with the perfect crisp white summer trousers.

The Princess Royal might have consistently been found to be one of the hardest working royals but fans won’t be seeing her for several weeks yet as she enjoys a well-deserved break. Whilst the King and Queen are expected to spend much of their Scottish holiday at Birkhall and Balmoral, it’s possible Princess Anne could go up to visit at some point. Though during her time out of the public eye it’s been suggested that Princess Anne’s “all-consuming” distraction could be a source of comfort as she’s now experienced a unique heartbreak.

On 15th August Princess Anne turned 73 and King Charles interrupted his Scottish holiday to share a special throwback post in honour of her big day. This is undeniably a happy family occasion but the date might also be a little bittersweet as this is the first birthday the Princess Royal has had since Queen Elizabeth's death.

Princess Anne is also the final member of the immediate Royal Family to experience this heartbreak. No more of the late Queen Elizabeth’s children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren have birthdays between now and 8th September when she passed away.

The weeks following her birthday could also be poignant as the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death is drawing closer. Although it’s been confirmed King Charles will be honouring this date “quietly and privately” and there won’t be any official royal gatherings, Princess Anne will likely reflect upon it in her own way.

However, the BBC’s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond has suggested to OK! that Princess Anne’s “all-consuming” distraction from her grief at this time could be her grandchildren. She has two grandchildren through her son Peter Phillips - Savannah and Isla - and three through her daughter Zara Tindall - Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall.

“Kids take you out of your world, into a space full of laughter… or tantrums… toys and playtime. Whatever they’re up to, it’s all-consuming, leaving no time to think about how sad you are really feeling,” the royal expert claimed.

She also reflected that children such as Princess Anne’s grandchildren “throw your focus onto the future” which means they can help someone avoid “dwelling on the past”.

Jennie continued, “I imagine Princess Anne will be taking every chance to be with her grandchildren – as much as she can with her extremely busy work schedule. The fact that they all live on the Gatcombe estate speaks volumes about how well they all get on. I’m sure Anne is a very important part of that set up.”

So it seems that spending time with her five grandkids could potentially be helping Princess Anne over the next few weeks leading up to this sad anniversary especially and perhaps around her birthday too. It’s not known how the senior royal is spending her birthday but given she’s enjoying a break from royal engagements it’s likely her family will be part of her celebrations.