Princess Anne gifted flowers by well-wisher in Glasgow
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Princess Anne has endured a heartbreaking few days following the death of her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Dubbed the “hardest-working royal”, the monarch’s daughter has remained resilient in these difficult times, ensuring the Queen is laid to rest in keeping with royal tradition. During times of grief, families come together to support one another and while Princess Anne has no doubt leaned on her children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips for support, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence is also by her side during the most difficult times.
The Princess Royal has been married to Timothy for 20 years and throughout this week, he has accompanied her for most public appearances.
According to Peter, Tim provides “strong support” to his mother, and they both share the same “understanding of what being a part of the wider family means and what is required”.
Body language expert Judi James spoke about Princess Anne and how she “seems to be putting herself under pressure to sustain the traditional royal stance of the stiff upper lip” during this difficult time.
She added: “[Anne is] trying to show strength in mourning in the style of her mother and her father.
“The memory of her mother sitting isolated but still resilient at Prince Philip’s funeral seems to be a stance Anne is trying to emulate.
“But the grief is clearly taking its toll, possibly more than for her other siblings who seem to be more open about expressing and sharing their grief and receiving tactile support from those around them.
“Anne arrived in London with her mother’s coffin and despite having her husband close by there appeared to be no exchanges between them. This could have been deliberate.
“When someone is trying to show a brave front under extreme emotions it can often be looks or words of kindness and sympathy that can bring on tears.
“The way she picked up a matching marching step with the RAF woman who greeted her suggested a desire to keep as formal and regimented as possible.”
Judi continued: “Anne’s face looked even more drawn and the way she kept touching her bag and shoving it under one arm suggested anxiety.
“At one point she clasped her hands in a steepled gesture of self-control but her thumbs were rubbing against one another in a self-comfort ritual.”
Sir Timothy Laurence has previously been described as the “invisible man” as he stands beside his royal wife without ever putting himself centre stage.
It is said to be a quality the Queen admired who first knew him as her former equerry.
Judi previously told Express.co.uk why she thinks Sir Timothy is a good match for the Princess.
She said: “It is that ability to avoid attention and interest that seems to be exactly what Anne needed and craved in her life.
“Anne is a strong character and clearly needs someone who will match her when the chips are down.
“But for Timothy, the limelight is totally his wife’s.
“He is often seen beside or behind her on formal occasions but it is Anne you notice and there are rarely if ever any exchanges between them.
“Timothy’s gaze looks so detached he could be taken for a bodyguard rather than her current husband,” she remarked.
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