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Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Laura Harman

Princess Anne's firm response to falling over during an engagement is so on brand

Princess Anne's firm response to falling over is so on brand for the Princess Royal as she managed to maintain her proper demeanor

Princess Anne's firm response to falling over during a royal engagement has been unearthed in an old video, and frankly we are obsessed!


In June 2007 while in Guernsey on a royal tour of the Channel Islands, the Princess Royal slipped and fell while on a walkabout. Quickly coming to her aide was Geoffrey Rowland, the island's bailiff, who tried to help her back on her feet. Unfortunately for the bailiff, the Princess didn't feel that she needed any assistance and seemed rather insulted by his gruff gesture to pick her back up.

"No, don't do that, thank-you. Grabbing me round my... ( inaudible) won't help," Princess Anne said. "I'm perfectly capable of getting myself up."

The Princess continued with a walkabout and following this incident, Geoffrey, who tried to assist the Princess, spoke about the incident and that she was 'mildly shaken.' Geoffrey said, "The Princess Royal slipped at the top of Smith Street, I offered her my assistance but no damage was done. She was mildly shaken, but swiftly recovered and was determined to continue with the walkthrough St Peter Port. She was soon acknowledging bystanders in her usual relaxed and engaging way."

According to Daily Mail, an onlooker said, "Princess Anne looked furious. To fall over in public is bad enough but what really annoyed her was being grabbed. The poor bailiff was trying to do the right thing but got a ticking-off."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Of course, Princess Anne isn't the only royal to face a blunder while attending a royal engagement. In fact, many royals have suffered similar slips and falls while attending engagements.

Queen Sofia of Spain tripped over her floor-length gown while attending a state dinner at the White House in 2000. The Queen was helped by former President Bill Clinton and her husband King Juan Carlos who quickly helped her to her feet.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Similarly, back in 2022, Kate Middleton had a real-life Cinderella moment in Scarborough as she almost lost a shoe as she walked over thick mud. The Princess, who was wearing a pair of beige stilettos, was bending to greet fans by a fence. When she stood up to walk away, the thin heels seemed to sink into the mud and Kate had to carefully take large strides so that she didn't lose a shoe.

Previously in 2013, Kate's heel became stuck in a grate during a St Patrick's Day event. The Prince was on hand to help and Kate held onto his arm while she freed her shoe.

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