Princess Anne welcomes new Lady in Waiting after fascinating society visit

Princess Anne has taken on a new royal appointment, with Commander Anne Sullivan RN joining her household as a Lady in Waiting with immediate effect.

The appointment was confirmed in the Court Circular on 17 September.

It comes shortly after Princess Anne made her first official visit to the Linnean Society as its Patron, where she was joined by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

The royal couple attended the Society’s President’s Lecture on 10 September, with the evening offering Princess Anne an opportunity to meet Fellows, supporters and others involved with the organisation.

Anne also viewed the Society’s new exhibition, Herbarium, Plants in a New Light, which brings together science, art and history through a fascinating collection of botanical specimens.

The exhibition pairs photographs by Swedish artist Lena Granefelt with original pressed plant specimens from the collection of Carl Linnaeus. 

Princess Anne first became an Honorary Member in 2007 during celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of Carl Linnaeus's birth, before accepting the Patronage in March 2025.

She succeeded the late Queen Elizabeth II, who had served as Patron from 1952 until 2022, continuing a royal association with the Society that spans more than seven decades.