She climbed her first mountain in December 2001 and became the fourth British woman to ascend Mt Everest, reaching the summit with a Chilean expedition in May 2004.

After Everest, she went on to scale the ‘Seven Summits’ -  the highest peaks on each continent, including the Vinson Massif in Antarctica - in just 360 days, making her the only woman in the world to have achieved such an immense physical and logistical feat in such a short time.

In April 2006 Annabelle joined HSH Prince Albert of Monaco on an expedition to the North Pole. Using teams of dogs, the seven members of the expedition reached the North Pole on April 16. The trip, in conjunction with a project for the World Wildlife Fund, was to highlight awareness of global warming.

Born in Singapore, she has four times competed in the 103 km Hong Kong Mountain Marathon and has a long history of competing in endurance events to raise funds and awareness for charities and appeals.

In May 2009 she ran a 250 km endurance race across the Namibian desert as part of the Racing the Planet Series. Later that year she ran the same distance across the Sahara desert for the Eve Appeal, which specialises in the prevention of ovarian cancer. To date she has raised almost US$2 million for this cause.

In 2004 she was awarded the position of honorary colonel of the Chilean Army and two years later was appointed a member of the Royal Council of Ingxotha by his Majesty King Zwelithini Goodwill KaBhekuzulu of KwaZulu. In December 2006, Annabelle was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to mountaineering.