If one fitness influencer’s encounter tells us anything, it’s that Princess Anne is exactly the same whether she’s on duty in public or relaxing with her family during their summer escapes to Balmoral.
Finlay Jacobs, a Scottish-based fitness content creator, shared his unexpected run in with the Princess Royal while he was out on a run around Scotland, posting his experience on his social media page (as reported by Hello!).
What stood out - and what feels so on-brand - was Princess Anne’s hilariously no-nonsense response. He shared that, rather than being flanked by security or trying to distance herself from the runner, the very relaxed Princess Royal simply ushered him to keep going and told him to “Keep going!”
Finley shared in his video that he debated asking her for a photo or a video before the Princess Royal instead willed him to keep going. The fact that he was able to stop and think about asking for a photo suggests how relaxed and informal the encounter must’ve felt, and Princess Anne choosing instead to focus on his exercise feels so on-brand for the no fuss royal.
Princess Anne is currently enjoying the summer holidays at Balmoral Castle, the 50,000-acre estate in the Scottish Highlands that has been a fixture for the Royal Family for decades.
Prince Albert (King Charles and Princess Anne’s great-great-great-grandfather) bought the estate in 1852, making it one of the privately owned royal properties and not part of the Crown Estate.
The late Queen Elizabeth II made it an important annual tradition that the family would enjoy summers in their private haven, a place where they could be off-duty and simply come together as a family - a tradition that King Charles is keen to continue.
There’s a reason it’s become such a valued tradition. Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for the royals for 15 years, previously shared that it was during these Balmoral holidays that the royals could really “let their hair down” and come together like a regular family.
He even shared one particular tradition which would see the whole family take control of the cooking, with members claiming individual courses to oversee. He told Aberdeen Live, “You’d often get Princess Anne come down to the kitchen and say, 'I’m in charge of the first course tonight, what can I take?'"
He added, "Then Prince Edward would come down and be in charge of pudding, so would want to do something like pancakes. We’d make the batter and he’d want to fill them with things like raspberries or strawberries from the garden with ice cream."
They worked as a family on creating this meal, which they loved. They weren’t afraid to let their hair down and get stuck in."
