Princess Anne served as King Charles' personal bodyguard during the coronation procession

• King Charles III's coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
• His sister, Princess Anne, served as his personal bodyguard for his procession to Buckingham Palace.

Princess Anne played a special role protecting her brother on the day of his coronation.

King Charles III's coronation took place on Saturday at London's Westminster Abbey, formalizing his role as monarch of the UK.

The Princess Royal attended the ceremony wearing a formal coronation robe, speaking to her nephew Prince Harry before the historic ceremony.

She didn't play a role in the ceremony itself, but after the ceremony, Anne supported King Charles as his "Gold-Stick-In-Waiting."

As People reported, "Gold-Stick-In-Waiting" dates back to the Tudor period, when the Gold-Stick and the Silver-Stick served as the monarch's personal protection officers.

Today, the "Gold-Stick-In-Waiting" role is largely ceremonial, and it is jointly held by the Colonels of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals, according to The Tatler. Anne has been the Colonel of the Blues and Royals since 1998.

The Mirror reported that King Charles personally asked Anne to be his Gold-Stick for the coronation.

As Gold-Stick, Anne accompanied King Charles and Camilla's carriage as it made its way back to Buckingham Palace, and she led 6,000 members of the military in the procession.

She was the only member of the royal family to ride horseback after the ceremony, which was fitting considering her history as an Olympic equestrian.

Anne spoke about her role ahead of the coronation in an interview with CBC News.

"I have a role as the Colonel of the Blues and Royals in the Household Cavalry regiment as Gold-Stick," Anne said. "And Gold-Stick was the original close protection officer. So that is a role I was asked if I'd like to do for this coronation, so I said yes."

The princess joked during the interview that she was excited about the role because it meant she didn't have to wear a gown: "Not least of all, it solves my dress problem."

Princess Anne is referred to as the hardest working royal, as she holds more royal engagements annually than any other member of her family.

In November 2022, Charles introduced legislation — which Parliament passed the following month — to make his sister a counsellor of state, along with their younger brother, Prince Edward; the role means that Anne and Edward can stand in for Charles if he's ill or abroad.

Anne also played a prominent role in Queen Elizabeth's funeral services in September 2022, accompanying her mother's coffin from Scotland to London and making history as the first female royal to participate in the Vigil of Princes.