In the royal family, we often talk about Kate and William, Meghan and Harry, Charles and Camilla and sometimes – more sinisterly – Prince Andrew. So much so that the public almost forgets that there are other royals, as they seem discreet in comparison. Take the siblings of King Charles, for example, we rarely talk about his brother Edward or his sister Anne.
The latter is, however, the only daughter of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, in addition to being an accomplished rider. A distinction to which is added his popularity ratingsince according to a survey shared by YouGov, she would be the fourth most popular member of the royal family with the British (behind the late Elizabeth II, Kate, then William).
“Everyone loves her”: Princess Anne, an ultra-popular royal
But it is perhaps precisely for her discretion and her “normality” that Princess Anne is so popular. Grant Harrold, former butler at Buckingham Palace, spoke in the pages of the Daily Express about the latter’s personality. “She looks exactly the same as in public”he assures before adding: “Everyone loves himshe looks a lot like her mother and father, with character traits very similar to those of the latter”.
Despite her royal title, Princess Anne is a person like any other, according to the former palace employee. “She is a hard worker, a very down to earth person and normal. She did not want her children to have royal titles. She drives her own car and walks by herself. She’s as modern a Royal as they come, and behind the scenes she’s just like everyone else. She is very family oriented and she loves her animals,”
continues Grant Harrold.
“I was so nervous”: The day Princess Anne embarrassed a butler
If Princess Anne has her head on her shoulders, she would also be one hell of a entertainer. “Anne has always been known for her quick wit and sense of humor”, specifies Grant Harrold. Humor, luckily she had some during that awkward phone call that the former butler remembers. “In general,
when the phone rangBuckingham Palace put a member of the royal family in touch with the prince (Charles, editor’s note). What I mean by that is we spoke to the switchboard and they connected the person”, explains Grant Harrold. One day things turned out differently.
“Once a voice said ‘Princess Anne’, and I was like ‘Yes, Princess Anne, fine, I can transfer’, and then the voice answered ‘It’s Princess Anne‘”, says the former butler, who realized late that he was talking to the real princess. “Luckily, I think she found it quite funny, but I also called her ‘Sir’. She gave a little laugh, probably because I was so nervous!”
