Prince of Wales leads well-wishes to Princess Anne as she turns 71 

Happy 71st birthday, Princess Anne! Prince Charles leads well-wishes with adorable throwback photo of him squeezing his one-year-old sister’s hand while sitting in their prams

  • The Princess Royal, born at Clarence House on August 15 1950, turns 71 today 
  • Princes Charles paid tribute to sister Princess Anne on Twitter this morning 
  • Marked occasion with a black and white photograph of the pair as children  

Prince Charles paid tribute to his younger sister Princess Anne with an adorable throwback snap as she turned 71 today. 

The Prince of Wales, 72, led well-wishes to his younger sister this morning with a sweet photograph of the pair as children sitting in their prams in the Clarence House garden in 1951. 

It showed Charles squeezing the hand of a one-year-old Anne, with royal watchers dubbing the image ‘lovely’ and hailing the Princess Royal ‘one of our strongest royal ladies’. 

Alongside the black and white picture, which was shared on Twitter by the official Clarence House account, Charles wrote: ‘Wishing The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today.’  

Prince Charles paid tribute to his younger sister Princess Anne with an adorable throwback snap as she turned 71 today. The sweet photo showed the pair as children sitting in their prams in the Clarence House garden in 1951 

Alongside the black and white picture, which was shared on Twitter by the official Clarence House account, Charles wrote: 'Wishing The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today.'

Alongside the black and white picture, which was shared on Twitter by the official Clarence House account, Charles wrote: ‘Wishing The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today.’

The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal during the Braemar Gathering Highland Games in Scotland

The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal during the Braemar Gathering Highland Games in Scotland

The Royal Collection Trust also sent birthday wishes to Anne, sharing another throwback image of the siblings as children. 

The charity wrote: ‘#HappyBirthdayHRH The Princess Royal. This photograph shows the young princess with her mother, father and older brother Prince Charles on the lawn at Clarence House.’ 

Royal watchers were quick to comment on the sweet snap, calling the post ‘heartwarming’.  

‘Happy Birthday Princess Anne Birthday cake HRH is one of the most hard working members of the Royal Family but she just gets on with it in her own way without any fuss’, wrote one user. 

The Royal Collection Trust also sent birthday wishes to Anne, sharing another throwback image of the siblings as children

The Royal Collection Trust also sent birthday wishes to Anne, sharing another throwback image of the siblings as children

‘Aaaawww that’s a heartwarming picture. Happy 71st birthday HRH!’,  said another. 

A third user said: ‘Aww what a sweet picture. I wish the Princess Royal a super happy birthday, a lot of health and I hope she will have a wonderful new year! She is an amazing woman.’ 

Charles and Anne were always close and for most of their childhood it was just the two of them. Charles was 11 before Andrew came along, and 15 when Edward arrived. 

The princess was born at Clarence House on August 15 1950 and is younger sister to the Prince of Wales.

Royal fans shared their wellwishes to Princess Anne with a host of online posts, with many callinhg Prince Charles' snap 'adorable'

Royal fans shared their wellwishes to Princess Anne with a host of online posts, with many callinhg Prince Charles’ snap ‘adorable’ 

She is the mother of silver medal-winning Olympic horsewoman Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, who runs a sports management firm.

Anne was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia in 1990 for her work as president of the charity Save The Children. 

In 2002, Anne became the first senior member of the royal family to be convicted of a criminal offence.

She pleaded guilty at East Berkshire Magistrates’ Court in Slough to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act after her English bull terrier Dotty bit two children in Windsor Great Park. She was fined £500.

The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, after the Trooping the Colour ceremony held at Horse Guards Parade in 2000

The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, after the Trooping the Colour ceremony held at Horse Guards Parade in 2000

A skilled horsewoman, Anne won the individual championship at Burghley in 1971, and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

She won a place in the 1976 Montreal Olympics as a three-day eventer in the British equestrian team.

In 1987, Anne was honoured by the Queen with the senior title of Princess Royal, which is traditionally, but not automatically, given by the sovereign to their eldest daughter.

Anne has been married twice. She wed Capt Phillips in 1973, they separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992.

In 1992, she married Tim Laurence, a former equerry to the Queen, who became a Vice Admiral. They will mark 27 years of marriage later this year.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk