The Princess Royal has posed for her 75th birthday portrait with a sparkle in her eye and the flicker of a smile.

Princess Anne , who is celebrating the milestone on Friday, was pictured by John Swannell, her favoured photographer, outside her Gatcombe Park home.

Mr Swannell also photographed the Princess on her 40th, 50th and 60th birthdays.

In keeping with her no-nonsense reputation, the Princess has eschewed birthday parties and public commemorations, preferring instead to host more than 100 of her charities at Buckingham Palace in June.

She spent the occasion shaking the hands of as many of the 200-plus guests as possible, thanking them for their work.

The Princess will spend her birthday sailing around the Western Isles of Scotland with Vice-Adml Sir Tim Laurence, her husband.

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