Princess Anne tells of the moment when she saw Britons lining the streets to say goodbye to the Queen

An emotional Princess Anne today spoke of her heartbreak as she left Balmoral following the Queen’s death, telling of the “touching” moment when she saw thousands of grieving Britons line the streets to say goodbye.

In a rare, candid interview, the stoic Princess Royal, 72, spoke about her relationship with her late mother and paid tribute to ‘huge numbers of people’ who lined the roads from Balmoral to Edinburgh and later from London to Windsor in the aftermath of The Queen’s Death.

The princess, who was visibly moved when she accompanied her mother’s coffin in a funeral procession last September, said she “absorbed a lot” as she passed mourners, adding that she “saw people she knew” en route ‘.

She told Canada CBC news in a poignant interview: ‘It was such an impressive sight, and it was more than that because it was really moving (to see) how people reacted and how they did things. …

‘You were never going to miss the huge numbers of people who showed up at very special places and the atmosphere it created.’

Reflecting on the tens of thousands of mourners who lined the street to say their final goodbyes to the Queen, Princess Anne said it was a “moving” and “impressive place.”

In Glenfarg, a village in Perth, horsemen from Kinross lined the fields around the road where the Queen’s procession passed on September 12 last year

The Princess spoke of the number of people from rural communities across Scotland who brought out their ponies and horses after braiding their tails.

Tractors lined the road and looked “neat, totally clean,” which the grieving daughter said was “an amazing place.”

When asked how she felt about leaving the Queen’s beloved Balmoral with her mother for the last time, she spoke of her own pain.

The Princess said, “Leaving Balmoral was never easy, but it never has been, I mean, I was just as bad when I left as a child.”

The Queen had chosen her only daughter to escort the funeral procession, as Princess Anne took on perhaps the most difficult part in the aftermath of the monarch’s death.

Anne, who was accompanied by her husband of 30 years Sir Timothy Laurence, was visibly moved as she looked out for members of the public who had come to pay their respects.

The mother and daughter had had a close bond, it showed every time they were seen together.

Thousands lined the streets of Edinburgh as the hearse carrying the Queen’s coffin rolled through the streets of the Scottish capital

Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, was chosen by her mother to accompany the funeral procession on the six-hour journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh (pictured). Speaking of that day in September, she said it wasn’t “easy.”

During the interview, the Princess also reflected on her exceptionally close relationship with her mother, the Queen (pictured at the Royal Ascot in 2013)

Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, was chosen by the Queen to escort her coffin. As she passed thousands of mourners, she looked visibly shaken

Reflecting poignantly on the extraordinarily close mother-daughter bond between her and the Queen, she said, “The relationship, if you’re lucky, will last a lifetime.”

In the interview, which took place ahead of her visit to New Brunswick a few weeks from now, the princess spoke with sadness about the tragic photo of the Queen sadly sitting alone at Prince Philip’s funeral.

When asked by the interviewer if she believed it was “theft” that her mother had been forced to be alone in a time of immense grief, she agreed.

She said, ‘Yeah, you’re absolutely right. In some ways I’m glad we didn’t see that at the time. When you see the picture, it’s somehow much worse.”

During the interview, the princess began to think about the future of the British monarchy.

She spoke in defense of the monarchy, insisting it continues to bring “long-term stability” and “goodness to the UK and the Commonwealth”, and warned that it should not be further slimmed down.

In recent years, since 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stepped down from working life and Prince Andrew was stripped of his HRH, patronages and military ties by the late Queen.

Before he became king, Charles talked about wanting fewer working members of the royal family and a cheaper, smaller institution.

During the interview, the princess defended the British monarchy and suggested that the royal family need not be further ‘slimed down’. Pictured: King Charles and Princess Anne in Aberdeenshire, a week before their mother’s death

But the princess has suggested that the number of working members of the royal family is already small enough.

She said, “Well, I think it was said “slimed down” on a day when there were still a few people around. It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I’d say. I’m not sure what else we can do.”

Her defense of the monarchy, which has seen backlash in recent days in some Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand, added: “There will be [conversations about relevance] everywhere. It’s not a conversation I would necessarily have.

“It’s perfectly true that there is a point where you have to have that discussion, but I just want to underline that the monarchy, with the constitution, offers a degree of long-term stability that is actually quite difficult to obtain in any other way. way. .’

When asked what kind of king her brother would be, the humorous princess joked, “Well, you know what you’re getting, because he’s been practicing for a while, and I don’t think he’s going to change.”

It comes as a new poll revealed in the Mail today shows most believe the king should apologize for historic links between the monarchy and slavery, something Charles recently expressed support for.