I’d never seen a princess wear statement socks – until Anne

Not since the befuddled twilight of George III has a monarch been confined to Windsor Castle for such a duration. Unlike her great-great-great-great grandfather, however, the Queen has been in full command of everything. Now Balmoral beckons. Last year’s Deeside retreat was interrupted by the great prorogation crisis (how swiftly that episode has been relegated from constitutional apocalypse to half-remembered footnote). Since then, the implosion of the Duke of York, the flight of the Sussexes and Covid have made for a bleak royal winter and spring. The prospect of the Highlands should have the Queen’s spirits soaring. Except the Union has never been in graver danger, as James Forsyth spelled out in The Spectator last week. And the Scottish government’s latest rules must be obeyed: ‘A maximum of eight people from up to three different households can meet indoors.’ So who will be in this select few? Top of the list, surely, will be that ardent champion of all things Scottish, the Princess Royal. Three days after the Glorious Twelfth, she celebrates her glorious 70th.

For the past year, I have been following the Princess as part of an ITV birthday documentary. I have interviewed her both pre- and post-lockdown and can sense no change to her energy levels. She’s been meeting her charities by video link and spends any spare moments on the Gatcombe Park farm. However, we were unable to witness one of her enduring (and endearing) passions. For many years, she’s been patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, the custodian of Scotland’s 206 lighthouses, and loves her bracing trips to barely accessible beacons like Muckle Flugga or Ailsa Craig. Not on our watch, though. Talking to her at Gatcombe last month, my eye was drawn towards the royal ankle. Dressed in trousers, the Princess had chosen some rather lively socks.