Princess Anne the bodyguard

Hello everyone. I do hope it’s been a good week. This last Thursday saw Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, turn 74. In honour of her birthday, I’ve composed a poem about her role as Gold Stick in Waiting. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, as I was inspired by the idea of her being bodyguard to Charles. To me, it fits her perfectly, as I’ve always seen Princess Anne as the kind of person one would be happy to have next to you in a crisis! I hope it raises a smile.

The Gold Stick in Waiting is a position that dates back to Henry VIII’s time, when a courtier was required to always be by the King’s side as his bodyguard, carrying an ebony stick with a gold head. The position continues today as a ceremonial function and is considered to be a great honour.

Princess Anne spoke to Canada’s CBC News ahead of the coronation and said: "I have a role as the Colonel of the Blues and Royals in the Household Cavalry regiment as Gold Stick [in Waiting]. And Gold Stick was the original close protection officer. So that is a role I was asked if I'd like to do for this coronation, so I said yes. Not least of all, it solves my dress problem.”

Happy belated birthday Your Royal Highness!

They called for someone tough and brave, 
Someone with nerves of steel, 
To act as bodyguard and shadow The King, 
Someone for whom adventure does appeal. 

To keep an eagle eye at state events, 
Scanning the crowd with stealth, 
Willing to be a human shield for Charles, 
With no thought for their own health. 

They’d be someone who’s worthy of MI6,
But is never shaken when stirred, 
When thrown off a horse, they get straight back on,
And continue quite undeterred. 

After weeks of rigorous selection, 
The perfect candidate outshone the rest, 
The Royal Family’s true secret agent, 
Who easily passed all the tests. 

A candidate who’s amiable but ruthless,
Whenever there’s a dangerous plot to foil, 
The perfect Gold Stick in Waiting, 
Is none other than The Princess Royal.