Princess Anne had quite a big shake-up to her staff as she appointed five new ladies in waiting and a new private secretary, it has been announced.

The new appointments come as four of the Princess Royal’s exisiting ladies-in-waiting have now retired.

A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant to a female member of the Royal family who accompanies them on public engagements and provides other support and assistance with their day-to-day duties.

Anne’s new ladies in waiting are Lady MacFarlane, Lady Elizabeth Leeming, Mrs John Armstrong, Mrs Dolly Maude and Mrs Simon Rhodes.

They will be replacing Lady Carew Pole, Hon Dame Shân Legge-Bourke, Dame Rowena Feilden and Mrs Brian Hammond following their retirement.

Elizabeth Leeming and Susan Rhodes, members of the Bowes Lyon family, were also ladies-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth.

Mrs Rhodes is married to Simon Rhodes, the son of the later Margaret Rhodes.

Elizabeth Leeming is the late monarch’s first cousin once removed, and is the daughter of the 17th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne, Fergus Michael Claude and Mary Pamela McCorquodale. She is married to Antony Richard Leeming.

Dolly Maude is a close friend of Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall.

Mrs Maud was maid of honour when Zara married Mike Tindall in 2011 and she also helped with the royal’s third child, Lucas’s birth in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Princess Royal has appointed Colonel John Boyd to be her new private secretary after the previous one, Mr Charles Davies, retired.

The new roles will be taking effect from today, February 1.