The Princess Royal, 75, has never been afraid to get involved during royal engagements, and she proved her down-to-earth attitude is here to stay during a visit to the Castle Archdale Museum in Irvinestown.
Not letting her outfit get in the way of physical activity, Anne picked up the shovel to help plant an Irish yew tree. While heels and a dress are not the usual gardening attire, it appears to be another example of the royal recycling items that have been in her wardrobe for decades.
The royal - who shares children Zara and Peter with her ex Mark Phillips - wore a blue pleated dress with a flippy skirt that fell just below the knee and an angular collar and buttoned bodice peeking through her matching pastel blazer. A pearl necklace, a leaf-shaped brooch and dark gloves completed Anne's daytime look.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesFans may have spotted that Anne's dress looks very similar to one she first wore aged 26, during the 1978 state visit of President Khama of Botswana. She also wore it to Royal Ascot in 2023, and it appears to be the one she layered underneath her long yellow jacket in 1993 when she visited the UK Sailing Centre in Cowes, the Isle of Wight, aged 43.
Princess Anne's penchant for recycling clothes
© PA ImagesLong celebrated as the original 'royal recycler', Anne has frequently reworn tailored suits and gowns that she had debuted in the 1970s and 1980s.
Speaking out against fast-fashion, she told Vanity Fair ahead of her 70th birthday that she recycles outfits: "Because I'm quite mean!"
© Mark CuthbertShe added: "I still try and buy materials and have them made up because I just think that's more fun. It also helps to support those who still manufacture in this country."
Addressing the pressure to keep up with fashion trends, Anne said of her practical approach to fashion: "A good suit goes on forever... I don't buy things just because they're in fashion, and you don't throw things away if they're still useful."
