Anne, the ‘Gold Stick in Waiting’, was ready to ride to her brother’s rescue

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o one could accuse the Princess Royal of under-dressing for the occasion. For a woman who has spent her entire life being bumped further and further down the line of succession, first by her younger brothers, then by her brothers’ children and grandchildren, while appearing not in the least bit bothered about it, she still managed to make her own mark at the coronation.

As “Gold Stick in Waiting”, Anne had one of the strangest roles on a day that was not short of peculiar ceremony. When the new King emerged from Westminster Abbey, it was Anne who rode on horseback behind him, entrusted to protect his personal safety with her gold-headed ebony staff.

To be fair, she did have the back-up of 29,000 police

The Flash Sale.