Queen of Scots: The bond between the Princess Royal and Scotland as she prepares to turn 60

WHEN she was only a little girl, the Princess Royal embarked on a family holiday that would instill in her a deep and abiding affection for a nation and its people.

Aged five, she accompanied her mother and Prince Charles on a trip further north than she had ever ventured, to the village of Portvoller on the Isle of Lewis. While there, the Royal Family visited Tiumpan Head lighthouse on the Eye Peninsula. Her elder brother, by then a responsible seven-year-old, may have been the one permitted to blow the foghorn, but it was the Queen's only daughter who answered Scotland's call.

On the eve of Princess Anne's 60th birthday, warm tributes have been paid from observers of the monarchy and organisations in Scotland, which have benefited from her support over the years.

Regarded by many as Scotland's favourite member of the Royal Family, she has followed up that fateful trip to Lewis with countless engagements in Scotland down the decades. Such is the extent of her presence in the country, many have grown to fondly regard her as the unofficial Queen of Scots.

"The Princess Royal spent a lot of time in Scotland as a child," Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, told The Scotsman. "I think it has given her a lifelong love for the country."

Despite her 60th birthday tomorrow, the princess has made it clear she has no intention of giving up her status as the hardest-working member of her family.

Asked in a special BBC interview this week whether she would ever slow down on her commitments, she replied: "Look around at the members of my family who are considerably older than me and tell me whether they have set an example which suggests I might – unlikely."

It is that drive and public service that have so endeared her to the people of Scotland. Last year alone, she carried out more than 600 engagements, a vast number of which were north of the Border. According to the records of the Court Circular, she visited a staggering array of communities in 2009, ranging from the capital city and towns in the Central Belt to villages in the Highlands and Islands.

Her destinations included Anstruther, Banff, Denny, Edinburgh, Galashiels, Glenrothes, Greenock, Jura, Kirkwall, Lewis, Melrose, Muir of Ord, Oyne, Prestwick, Tain and Wick.

With such fearsome itineraries commonplace, it is little wonder that Zara Phillips continues to draw inspiration from her mother's stamina. "I'm always amazed by how much she can fit into a week, the amount of different places she goes in the country and people she meets," she told the BBC programme The Princess Royal at 60. "She always remembers everyone she's met. It's just unbelievable her capacity to do all of it."

For Mr Little, the Princess Royal's affection for Scotland is largely down to her wider family.

"She has a lot of Scottish forebears," he said. "The Queen Mother considered herself Scottish, and I think Anne, or at least a part of her, feels the same. The pride of Scotland has been passed down generations of the family."

The Princess Royal's strong ties with Scotland are evident not only in her official engagements but also in her personal life.

In 1992, dressed in a simple white suit with white blossoms in her hair, she married Commander Tim Laurence – now Vice Admiral Laurence – at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral. The wedding meal consisted of vegetable soup and wholemeal sandwiches, and, rather than jetting off to some far-flung tropical idyll, the happy couple went on to honeymoon in the Highlands.

While their decision to wed in Scotland was partly down to the Church of England's refusal to allow divorcees to remarry in its churches, the romantic nature of the setting had a significant influence.

Both her children, Zara and Peter, strengthened the ties by attending Gordonstoun. Peter, who now works in promotions for Royal Bank of Scotland, even represented the Scottish rugby team at schoolboy level.

His mother's straight-talking style and rejection of every custom of the monarchy have also been regarded fondly by Scots. She refused to let her children be given royal titles in an attempt to ensure their personal freedom, and is less reliant on bodyguards than other members of the Royal Family.

Scotland, Mr Little believes, is a place where Princess Anne can escape and be herself. "I think it's important that, geographically, Scotland is a long way from London," he said. "She loves the people and attending functions, but it is also somewhere where she can find relative normality in her life. For example, she's an avid sailor, and I know she and her husband enjoy visiting Scotland for that reason."

So inextricably linked is she with Scotland, one of the Princess Royal's numerous honours acknowledges her bond with the nation. A gift to mark her 50th birthday, she was appointed Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle in recognition of her extensive charity work.

Arguably, however, her most famous appointment was as patron of the Scottish Rugby Union. A regular cheerleader at Murrayfield, she was there to watch the national side play no less than five times last year. Wishing her a happy birthday, an SRU spokesman said: "The Princess Royal is a long-standing and committed supporter of Scottish rugby. We were greatly honoured when she performed the official opening of the East Stand at Murrayfield in 1983 and were absolutely delighted when she became our patron in the 1986-7 season. She has been a most welcome visitor to Murrayfield in her capacity as our patron in every season since.

"Having competed herself at the highest level in international sport, the princess is aware of the considerable demands placed on elite sports people and her empathy is always appreciated by the Scotland team."

While her position at the SRU is the most high-profile, Princess Anne is involved with over 40 organisations in Scotland, whether charities, universities, societies or schools.

She is, for example, president of Victim Support Scotland and an honorary member of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.

She is also Royal Colonel of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, and 52nd Lowland Regiment, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.

But her work with many of smaller organisations – such as the Scotch Beef Club or Scotland's Churches Scheme – remains unknown to the wider public. Numerous dates involving visits to care homes, the opening of piers, or functions at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, are simply not reported by the media at large.

One body that has always been close to heart is the Northern Lighthouse Board, proof that her first love of Scottish life has been an enduring one.

A committed amateur pharologist, a journey that began in 1956 at Tiumpan Head, continues to this day, and she has visited countless lighthouses that illuminate the nation's coastlines. Only this summer, she re-opened the Harbour Light Tower in North Queensferry, the world's smallest lighthouse.

Lorna Hunter, information officer for Northern Lighthouse Board, explained: "Since becoming patron of the board in 1993, the Princess Royal has visited over 70 of our 208 lighthouses, including the most famous, Bell Rock, off the coast of Arbroath, and the most northerly, Muckle Flugga, off Unst in Shetland."

There is, it seems, no clearer signal that the Princess Royal will go to the furthest lengths in order to see the country she loves.

"Anne keeps the profile of the monarchy high in Scotland," Mr Little said. "Whether it's to do with rugby or lighthouses, she has a great affinity with the country, and I'm sure she'll be back at Balmoral for a holiday before the summer is out."