Princess Anne is a woman of many talents and is widely considered the hardest-working member of British royalty.
The Princess Royal’s quick wit and passion for duty have led to her recognition as one of the most prominent members of the royal family.
Another Side to Anne
Anne’s role as Gold Stick in Waiting during Charles’ coronation is as serious as it gets. But this doesn’t mean the ceremonial bodyguard of the sovereign doesn’t know how to have a laugh.
From joking around with Queen Elizabeth to bringing a crowd to laughter when speaking of her attempted kidnapping, here are five of Anne’s funniest moments.
Mistaken for Her Brother
During an event for the Young Advocates for Agriculture in 2012, the Princess Royal was mistaken for her brother, the then-prince Charles.
Anne was welcomed to the stage by David Bolton, who introduced the princess as “Her Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales” (via Hello! Magazine).
Is That Charles or Anne?
Never one to take things personally, Anne decided to make a joke out of the situation during her talk.
“My brother tells a story of having visited an elderly care home in Scotland, and at the time, he was in a kilt,” Anne shared at the time. “And he actually heard, when he was engaged in conversation down the other end, an old lady saying, ‘Is that Princess Royal?’” As the crowd laughed, she finished with: “Thought it was quite funny. And I am wearing trousers today!”
Talented Equestrian
Princess Anne had an impressive career as an athletic equestrian. During the European Eventing Championships in 1971, she won a gold medal in the individual division.
Four years later, she earned two silver medals at the same event. The Princess Royal then became the first member of British royalty to appear at the Olympics when she competed at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Anne Announces Retirement with a Joke
As with all sports, eventually, the athlete must come to grips with retirement. Yet, for Anne, it was the perfect moment to have a laugh.
When asked by a reporter about her achievements in response to her retirement, Anne joked, “I got them more lavatories” (via Express).
Trump Visits Buckingham Palace
When former U.S. President Donald Trump paid a visit to Buckingham Palace in 2019, it led to an encounter that saw the Princess Royal get a telling-off from her mother the queen.
As the queen greeted the guests at the palace, a video captured Anne standing off-center in the royal lineup. Later in the video, the queen turns around and appears to scold her daughter, instructing Anne to stand in the receiving line.
Let Me Be Me
After the queen spoke with Anne, she adjusted her stance and followed this with a large shrug. The video clip garnered a lot of attention on social media, with users finding amusement in Anne’s attitude. One user wrote, “Princess Anne is the Queen of Shade. She is all of us” (via Hello! Magazine).
A source later claimed that Anne had said to the queen, “It’s just me,” signifying there was no one else to greet (via The Guardian).
Anne Helps the Queen During a Video Call
During National Carers Week in 2020, Princess Anne joined her mother, Elizabeth, on a video call.
The call started out like any normal conversation, with Tom Laing-Baker, the queen’s private secretary, introducing Her Majesty to those on the call.
Anne Cracks a Joke with the Queen on Video
The princess goes on to ask her mother, “Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen” (via Town & Country). Elizabeth replied: “Yes, well, I can see four anyway!”
Anne then joked, “Actually, you don’t need me. You know what I look like!”
Attempted Kidnapping of Princess Anne
Nowadays, it would almost be impossible to kidnap a royal family member. Yet, Ian Ball attempted precisely this in 1974, when he held a gun to Anne and demanded she get out of her vehicle.
In true British fashion, Anne yelled, “Not bloody likely!” When speaking of the incident at a later date, she said, “I nearly lost my temper with him. But I knew that if I did, I should hit him, and he would shoot me” (via Express).
A Laugh from the Crowd
When speaking on the ordeal in a 1974 interview, Anne got a laugh from the audience after recalling, “We had a sort of discussion about where or where not we were going to go.”
“I said I didn’t think I wanted to go,” Anne said (via Woman and Home). “I was scrupulously polite because I thought, silly to be too rude at that stage.”
