Princess Anne top contender to take over as Captain-General of the Royal Marines after Harry's exit

After the recent announcement that Prince Harry will be quitting all his royal roles, including his beloved positions in the military, speculations have started about who will be taking over from him. The most likely contender is his aunt Princess Anne, who might soon become Britain's first female Captain-General of the Royal Marines.

According to a report in The Times, Princess Anne is poised to take over the role in the Royal Marines, which was previously held by her father Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. The position could have gone to Prince William, but he won't be chosen for it to avoid it being seen as provocative given his growing feud with brother Harry.

With William ruled out, Princess Anne has emerged as the "least controversial choice" for the role. A military source told the outlet: "She's not going to cause any problems or scandals...it wouldn't be fair to take it off one brother and give it to the other."

The insider added that the 70-year-old is "well liked" by those in the Marines, even though they would "obviously like to keep Harry" in the role.

Princess Anne, who has often been hailed as the most hardworking royal, already has a number of military roles in her name. She is associated with 65 military organisations, and is currently Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy. The mother-of-two is also the Royal Colonel of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Commodore-in-Chief of the naval force of Canada, and Royal Honorary Colonel of the City of Edinburgh Universities Officers Training Corps, to name but a few.

She is also the Patron of The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial project in Liverpool, the Camp Hill Veterans' Services, aiding Canadian veterans in recognition of their services to their country, and the National Museum of The Royal Navy.

Royal author Phil Dampier also dubbed the "widely respected and trusted" Princess Royal a good fit for the Marines, noting that "she is highly likely to be offered the role." He added that the royal who is the 15th in the line of succession to the British throne has "the gravitas and experience" needed for the position.

After the one-year review of Harry and Meghan's exit as senior British royals, Buckingham Palace had released a statement to confirm that all their remaining patronages will go to the Queen, before "being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family."