The Princess Royal, 70, is one of the most hard-working royals in the family, but rarely gets as much recognition as other members of the Firm. When she was younger, Anne had a poor relationship with the press and found herself being criticised frequently. She was branded “bad-tempered” and “sulky” due to her bored expressions, and because she would shout at reporters if she felt like they were intruding on her privacy or bothering her at equestrian events.
However, she continued to do her duty and clocked up over twice as many engagements as other royals such as Princess Diana, who enjoyed a far more favourable reception.
In one incredible interview, Anne was asked whether she minded a particularly brutal headline.
The article had accused her of being too brief and abrupt while visiting a school, causing upset among the people there.
One headline read: “Royal snub: Speedy princess upsets children”.
READ MORE: Princess Anne and Camilla’s awkward clash at Christmas exposed
When asked if she minded this, Anne looked resigned and said: “No. It’s too late anyway.
“You tell me, I mean, I don’t fit their image… I just don’t fit into the slot which they think I ought to.”
This gave a rare insight into what Anne really thought of her press coverage, when usually she just kept her mouth shut.
In the Channel 4 documentary ‘The Real Princess Anne’, this interview was put into the context of the fact that Anne was taking part in a film which followed a year in her working life.
“Anne agreed, with reluctance. The film showed a whole year in her working life.
“On one particular day it showed her visiting a cosmetics factory all morning and moving on to an old people’s home in the afternoon.
“The film looked set to provide the positive PR the Palace thought she deserved.
“But the next morning back at home, Anne found she was in trouble again and her guard dropped for a moment when asked if she minded the headline.”
Princess Anne later reiterated her feeling that she did not fit the image of what a princess should look like or behave like.
She described herself as “not everyone’s idea of a fairytale princess”.
In contrast to her woes back in the late Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, Anne now enjoys a friendly press relationship and popularity with the public.
While she does not get given perhaps the most glamorous jobs, and she is not reported on as much as some of the younger or more senior royals ‒ William and Kate, for example ‒ she is generally held in high regard.
According to YouGov, she is the fourth most popular royal, only behind the Queen, William and Kate.
This puts her above prominent royals like the Queen’s husband Prince Philip, the heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
