Why Princess Anne is a powerhouse – from her signature style to foiling her own kidnap

Anne, the Princess Royal has always been a force to be reckoned with and King Charles has celebrated his younger sister's 73rd birthday by posting a behind-the-scenes photo of the pair from his recent coronation.

Accompanying the message "Wishing Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today!" was another photograph of the siblings as young children in their prams.

Last year, when the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth stepped up to carry out the duties required in the lead up to the late monarch's funeral, including escorting her mother's coffin from Balmoral to Aberdeen and then from Edinburgh to London over four days, the sister to the new King emerged into the spotlight perhaps more than ever before.

While she's always had an air of fulfilling her role as 'princess' her own way, how exactly did she get this reputation of being stoic and devoted?

As Anne celebrates her 73rd birthday, Yahoo UK dives in to why now is the time the Princess Royal gets the recognition she deserves.

10 reasons Princess Anne deserves your respect

She's a true arbiter of style. Princess Anne's trendsetting-looks, including straight-leg jeans, cowboy boots and sporty sunglasses are now often worn on the runway. Also known for her vibrant pieces, she's the patron of the UK Fashion and Textile Association.

She's the hardest-working royal. Thought to be one of the busiest members of the Royal Family, she carried out the most engagements in 2022 at 214, beating her brother Charles by 33.

She won't take any nonsense. Not always trying to fit in to the polite box expected of her, she was dubbed 'Her Royal Rudeness' in earlier years, with her reportedly telling reporters to 'Naff off!'. She had just fallen off her horse, so we'd likely want to say the same too.

She's an Olympian. Princess Anne became the first member of the Royal Family to compete in the Olympic Games in 1976 when she rode the late Queen's horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event in Montreal.

She foiled her own kidnapping attempt. In 1974, her chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce was stopped by a car with the armed Ian Ball, who shot the driver, security officer and a journalist. When told by him to get out of her car, she responded, "Not bloody likely", being saved soon after.

She ensured her children led a normal life. When she married first husband Mark Phillips, it is said that he turned down an Earldom. Despite royal titles for children usually inherited through the man, when still given the offer, Princess Anne declined.

Her signature hairstyle takes 10 mins. During Anne: The Princess Royal at 70, she said she read an article on how long it took to do Erin Doherty's hair in The Crown. "And I'm thinking, 'How could you possibly take that long?' I mean, it takes me 10 or 15 minutes," she said.

She was the first royal to remarry after divorce. She divorced from Phillips in 1992 and remarried Timothy Laurence, as the first child of the late Queen to do so. She sidestepped the restrictive laws of the Church of England still in place and instead tied the knot in Scotland.

Her sense of humour. On greeting the public (she doesn't often shake hands), she once memorably said, "When I appear in public people expect me to neigh, grind my teeth, paw the ground and swish my tail – none of which is easy." Just one example of her dry and quick wit.

She says it how it is. “I never liked the idea of the ‘Royal Family’ film. I always thought it was a rotten idea" and “Being pregnant is a very boring six months. I am not particularly maternal. It’s an occupational hazard of being a wife," are just two of her most honest quotes.

Watch: Applause for Princess Anne as she views tributes in Glasgow