Princess Anne: Royal expert discusses ‘very weird’ activity
The Princess Royal famously hated press intrusion into her life when she was young and, on occasion, lost her temper with reporters and photographers. Earlier this month, an old fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary about the Royal Family leaked on YouTube, but was quickly removed. Anne, 70, was reportedly always against the idea of this documentary, and the other members of the Royal Family soon came to her viewpoint after it was aired, after which it was locked away in the BBC vault.
According to the book ‘Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family’, Anne said: “I never liked the idea of [the documentary] ‘Royal Family’, I thought it was a rotten idea.
“The attention which had been brought upon one ever since one was a child, you just didn’t need any more.”
Yet, last week, Princess Anne gave royal watchers a rare insight into her home life by posting a photograph of her living room as she watched the Six Nations.
Her picture garnered a lot of attention due to the sheer clutter in the room, and how normal it looked shocked many people.
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Princess Anne released a picture last week that gave an “intimate” insight into her life (Image: GETTY)
The Royal Family eating lunch in the BBC documentary in 1969 (Image: GETTY)
A royal expert branded the photograph “intimate” and compared it to the attitudes towards the ‘Royal Family’ documentary.
Pod Save the Queen is hosted by Ann Gripper and features Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.
Ms Gripper said: “I think it’s quite interesting ‒ last week we were talking about the Royal Family not wanting to have the behind-the-scenes things of the old-school documentary out and about.
“And this week there have been two intimate photos that we’ve ended up with.
Princess Anne watching the rugby with her husband (Image: Instagram (The Royal Family))
“We’ve got the really classic Instagram picture of Eugenie and Jack and the little baby, albeit just their hands.
“But we have also seen into Princess Anne’s parlour, living room, front room, TV room, I don’t know what we can call this room, but a little bit of an insight into her life.”
The internet went into meltdown after the picture was posted on the official Royal Family Instagram account, with people astonished at the mess, and some even took to trolling the Princess Royal.
Mr Myers commented that it looked like a “jumble sale” was about to happen or that “a bomb had just gone off”, adding that it was an “incredible” picture.
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Princess Anne timeline (Image: GETTY)
He noted that it was more reminiscent of the TV show ‘The Royle Family’, which features a working-class Manchester family, than of a royal palace.
However, he added: “But posh people are eccentric aren’t they, and this shows you eccentricity in spades.
“You’ve got books everywhere, piles of paper, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac, everything.”
Mr Myers also pointed out that Anne was sitting on a cushion, likely because her old sofa had worn out, and that she was wearing a jumper and a gilet, indicating that perhaps she did not have her heating
He said the decor reminded him of his grandmother’s cabinet, with the horses and pictures of her children.
Princess Anne marries Timothy Laurence in Scotland in 1992
He said the decor reminded him of his grandmother’s cabinet, with the horses and pictures of her children.
Princess Anne, who is the patron of Scottish rugby, is a big fan of the Scottish rugby team and posted the picture to show her support.
On Saturday, Ms Gripper noted, Anne had “every reason to be utterly delighted” because Scotland beat England at Twickenham.
The royal expert added that she was probably so happy she probably “didn’t care a jot” what people thought of her living space.
Underneath the picture, the Royal Family Instagram wrote: “Patron, The Princess Royal often supports the team from the stands.
“Her Royal Highness and Vice Admiral Sir Tim cheered Scotland on from home today as they played England for the Calcutta Cup, 150 years since their first match.
“Well played Scotland!”
The most-like comment read: “I love that their house looks like anyone’s grandmother’s house.”
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‘Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family’ was published by DK in 2015. It is available here.
