The Princess Royal has recorded a special reading for a podcast, in what is believed to be a first for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's only daughter. Princess Anne, who turns 70 in August, made her debut on Westminster Abbey's series Abbeycast on Monday.
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LISTEN: Princess Anne makes debut on Westminster Abbey's podcast
The royal read Matthew 16: 13 – 19 to mark St Peter's Day, when the Abbey would usually be celebrating the Feast Day with Festal Eucharist. The church began producing podcasts at the start of the coronavirus lockdown while it has been closed to worshippers and visitors.
Princess Anne isn’t the only member of the royal family to have featured on Westminster Abbey's podcast – the Prince of Wales and the Countess of Wessex have been guests on previous recordings.
The Queen's daughter has been residing at her Gloucestershire home, Gatcombe Park, with her husband Sir Timothy Laurence. Her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, from her previous marriage to Captain Mark Phillips, also live nearby on the country estate.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Anne at Westminster Abbey in 2018
Anne made her first in-person visit to the Duke of Gloucester Barracks in South Cerney on 16 June, as lockdown restrictions began to ease in the UK. In her role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Logistic Corps, the Princess thanked personnel involved in support of COVID-19 operations at the barracks. On the same day, her older brother, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, visited the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, while her nephew, the Duke of Cambridge, met with ambulance staff in King's Lynn.
Princess Anne joined the Queen as the 94-year-old monarch made her debut on a video call to the Carers Trust earlier in June. Her Majesty wore a floral print dress as she spoke with carers during a 20-minute conversation, giving royal fans a glimpse into the Oak Room at Windsor Castle. The Queen and Prince Philip have been living at the Berkshire palace since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March.
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