Anne: I’m part of the eyes and ears of the monarchy

The Princess Royal has described herself as part of the “eyes and ears” of the monarchy who is committed to travelling around the country to support those “doing an incredibly good job”.

Anne is known for her busy work schedule and said there was a need to “get out and find out what’s going on”.

Her comments came at the end of a successful three-day visit to Sri Lanka with her husband which saw her pictured carrying some of her bags down the steps of the plane when they first arrived on Tuesday.

I think in the context of the monarchy it takes more than one person to be able to stay in contact, and we're part of the eyes and ears

The King’s sister, who is president of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, also suggested clothing manufacturers might return to a period when garments could be altered for a new use rather than thrown away – in a bid to improve sustainability.

The princess, 73, has been dubbed the King’s “right-hand woman” thanks to her support for her brother, and her reputation as one of the most hard-working royals in Charles’s slimmed-down monarchy.

Interviewed by the PA news agency in Colombo, she was asked about her workload and replied: “Well, I think in the context of the monarchy it takes more than one person to be able to stay in contact, and we’re part of the eyes and ears.

“So, as much as possible, we just want to get out and find out what’s going on and help support people who are doing an incredibly good job, wherever they are in the country and that applies here too.

“You look around here, there are charities here that are well established, and they do a fantastic job and that kind of ethos has to be supported, wherever you find it, so that’s not difficult.”

Anne has toured Sri Lanka over the past three days with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, beginning in the capital Colombo where she visited MAS, a company producing sportswear and active clothing including tops for tennis star Novak Djokovich.

And for the past 30 years it has been manufacturing underwear and lingerie for Marks and Spencer.

Her visit to the clothing company was also to learn about its efforts to produce sustainable garments and she commented to PA about the “ubiquitous T-shirt which was churned out in millions”.

She added: “…what do you do with them next? Nobody really thought that one through and they are going to have to think about that sort of thing in the future.

“You think about how much is going into landfill.”

She suggested whether a return to traditional processes of clothing manufacture might be the answer.

Anne said: “You go through the phase when fashion was very structured and people followed fashion, but you had tailors and dressmakers who absolutely fundamentally made that, but you could also alter it because they had the skills to do so.

“Now you’ve got instant fashion which you then throw away, you don’t alter it because it wouldn’t be worthwhile.

“So whether we’ve got to relearn those skills, go back and say ‘actually, we need materials that can do more than one evolution of fashion’.”

Earlier Anne paid her respects to the fallen when she laid a wreath in their memory in Colombo, during her first visit to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemetery as the organisation’s president.

When asked if it was an honour to take on the role, she replied “definitely” and went on to describe some of the military graves she had come across during her oversee visits.

She said: “You would find these little war grave cemeteries, beautifully maintained by locals, probably father and son.

“And then you go to the bigger ones like in Singapore, which are a completely different scale of graveyards in any shape, or form, and again, they’re beautifully done, really well looked after – the source of extraordinary knowledge.”

The princess’ three-day tour of Sri Lanka, which ended on Friday, was the royal family’s first overseas tour of 2024 and marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and the Commonwealth nation after it gained independence from Britain in 1948.

Anne praised the contribution Sri Lanka has made to the Commonwealth, telling the PA news agency: “Well, thinking Commonwealth perspectives, it’s pretty important because they’ve been fundamental as part of the growth of the Commonwealth.

“And their association with Britain and their relationship has been pretty consistent.”

Before leaving to return to the UK, the princess told a reception attended by senior Sri Lankan figures their country’s relationship with the UK was “based on a good understanding of our common goals in terms of standards and the quality of the world and our quality of welfare to our populations”.