Charles is 'closer than ever' to his key confidante Princess Anne
Nick Constable for The Mail on Sunday - Yesterday 23:46

As Charles III grapples with his new role, Princess Anne has emerged as a key confidante to the new King.

Alongside his mother, she has been a mainstay in his life – and insiders say they are closer now than ever.

They were born just 21 months apart and grew up the closest of the siblings – both were teenagers by the time their parents' third child Prince Andrew started primary school.

Inevitably, given the Royal Family’s protected environment, they forged a special bond above and beyond those that followed with their younger brothers.

They are known to revel in each other's company, sharing the same sense of humour, love of the countryside and affection for all things Scottish.

Yet, in adulthood, Anne has also respected their different roles and her elder brother's constitutional destiny.

The brother-sister banter common in so many families has, in her case, been underpinned by a quiet respect.

Their relationship has been compared to that of Queen Elizabeth II with her younger sister Princess Margaret.

Now Charles, as was once the case with his mother, is an inexperienced Monarch in need of a trusted ear, someone with whom to share confidences – and, increasingly, seek advice.

Neither the King nor his sister would surely have wished to be the only siblings present at the bedside of their mother as she passed away at Balmoral Castle, but it is understood Andrew and Edward, travelling in a car driven by Prince William, were not able to reach the castle in time.

The fact that Charles and his sister were the only siblings present meant they could briefly mourn privately together, further strengthening their unique relationship.

It is unclear yet whether the King will bestow a new title on Anne in addition to that of Princess Royal – the highest honour bestowed on a female member of the Royal Family by the Monarch.

Anne became the seventh Princess Royal in 1987. Princess Mary, daughter of Charles I, was the first to be given the title in 1642.

But whatever Anne's formal title, the evidence suggests her importance to King Charles will rank close to that of the Queen and Prince of Wales.

A mark of the Princess Royal's elevation in the Royal hierarchy is that she will accompany her mother's coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, to London tomorrow.

The coffin will be flown to RAF Northolt and taken by road to Buckingham Palace.

She has a justified reputation as one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family, carrying out 387 official engagements last year – two more than her elder brother.

Both easily exceeded the workload of the next in-demand Royal, Prince William, who logged 235.

As patron to more than 300 charities and organisations, and with upwards of 20,000 official engagements already under her belt, the 72-year-old Princess will be the bulwark supporting King Charles' plan to downsize the Monarchy.

There is also the question of re-allocating Queen Elizabeth’s 600-plus patronages.

These have automatically been transferred to King Charles, as sovereign, and he must decide which to pass to senior Royals and which to let lapse.

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The fact that Charles and his sister were the only siblings present meant they could briefly mourn privately together, further strengthening their unique relationship.

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