The sporty, no-nonsense Anne, Princess Royal, is often compared to her father, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. However, it's clear she's also inherited Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II's understated wit. The Queen's only daughter is known to be quick with a comeback and is able to maintain her dry sense of humour even when under the threat of kidnap.
Regarded as the most hardworking member of 'the firm', carrying out 387 engagements in 2021, Princess Anne, 72, is also one of the funniest, and has regularly left Royal watchers in stitches over the years with her sharp one-liners and amusing anecdotes.
The Princess Royal has accompanied her mother's coffin as the Queen's body is flown back to Buckingham Palace, London from Edinburgh, where mourners have been paying their respects. The Queen’s only daughter also accompanied the funeral cortege on the six-hour journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh where she was driven behind the hearse in a royal Bentley alongside her husband of thirty years, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.
1. When she was mistaken for her older brother, King Charles III
Princess Anne has a talent for lightening the mood during what could potentially become an awkward situation, like the time when a quickly mortified moderator accidentally introduced as 'Her Royal Highness The Prince of Wales' during a 2012 debate about young people and farming.
As previously reported by the Daily Express, rather than take offence at the apologetic moderator's gaffe, she chose to share a humorous story involving her brother, King Charles III.
The Princess Royal recalled: "Your introduction did make me wonder slightly. My brother tells a story of having visited an elderly care home in Scotland, and at the time he was in a kilt.
"He actually heard when he was engaged in conversation down the other end an old lady say ‘Is that the Princess Royal?' He thought it was quite funny – and I’m not even wearing trousers today, but there you go."
2. When she refused to let kidnappers dampen her sense of humour
Back in 1974, when she was a young princess of 23, Princess Anne endured a terrifying kidnapping attempt while returning to Buckingham Palace from a charity event. The assailant shot Princess Anne’s driver, her personal bodyguard Jim Beaton, and a passing tabloid reporter, all of whom thankfully survived their injuries, and had intended to hold her to ransom.
However, Anne famously wasn't having any of it, famously declaring "not b***** likely!" as the gunman ordered her to get out of the vehicle.
Speaking with iconic interviewer Michael Parkinson in 1980, Anne recalled how she'd initially been 'scrupulously polite' to her attacker as she 'thought it was silly to be too rude at that stage'. However, she eventually 'lost her rag' with him after he split the back of her dress.
3. When she was all of us teaching her mother the Queen how to use Zoom
Although they may live in palaces, the Royal family could not have been more relatable during a sweet Zoom meeting moment between Princess Anne and her mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
During lockdown, a clip went viral that showed Princess Anne teaching the Queen how to participate in a video call meeting, and her gently humorous reaction offered a touching glimpse into their mother-daughter relationship.
Anne could be seen asking the Queen, “Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen", to which Her Majesty replied: “Yes, well I can see four anyway."
The princess then joked: “Actually, you don't need me. You know what I look like!”
4. When she exchanged banter with royal fans in North Yorkshire
As previously reported by Gloucestershire Live, Princess Anne had arrived by helicopter for a royal visit to Jack Berry House, a North Yorkshire rehabilitation centre for injured jockeys.
Royal fans Emma Dodsworth and Lisa Watkins spotted the helicopter landing and quickly noticed the royal symbol. However, after they rushed excitedly to meet the princess, her response was typically unshowy.
Lisa recalled: "A four-by-four then pulled over with Princess Anne. As soon as she got out she asked if we were going to play football as I was wearing trainers and a sweatshirt.
''We told her we were there to see her and she said 'do get away'. She had a cheeky grin and we laughed and I cried. She was so lovely. I have a reputation for banter so of course, I would banter with Princess Anne."
5. When she reportedly gifted King Charles III a toilet seat
In the Channel 4 documentary A Very Royal Christmas: Sandringham Secrets, it was revealed that the Royal Family prefer to exchange 'gag gifts' rather than anything luxurious. One particularly daft gift was a toilet seat, reported given by Princess Anne to her brother, King Charles III.
Speaking in the doc, former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter explained:"What is it we used to call the loo? We would call it the throne.
"You go and sit on the throne. So buying a leather-bound loo seat was really Princess Anne's way of saying, 'Here you are, you've got your own personal throne'."
You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here
