This week, the nation’s hearts have collectively wrenched watching Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter curtsey to her mother’s coffin outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse after she passed away on Thursday.
Known as one of the hardest working royals, Anne’s sombre demeanour has been a disconcerting contrast to her usual reportedly rebellious nature and no-nonsense attitude. But her selfless dedication to her royal duties has spawned her a new swarm of supporters: Gen Z TikTokers.
Cool-headed and kind like her late mother, Princess Anne represents the best of British royalty. So, here are all the reasons why the internet is now obsessed with the Princess Royal as archival videos of the iconic royal go viral online…
Her Balenciaga-esque sunglasses
It doesn’t matter that she’s 72, Princess Anne is still trendsetting. Long before this Spring’s Balenciaga-spearheaded sport sunglasses trend exploded, the Princess Royal was sporting Adidas frameless sunnies everywhere from the Chelsea Flower Show to the Platinum Jubilee.
The fact she refused to be kidnapped
Quite possibly the most iconic story about Princess Anne available is that she narrowly avoided being kidnapped thanks to her stubbornness and quick thinking. In 1974, she and her husband were heading back to Buckingham Palace after a night at the cinema.
As the chauffeur drove down the Mall, a bearded man holding two handguns charged towards the car. After Anne’s bodyguard and chauffeur were both injured in the attack, the Princess Royal had what she later described as a ‘very irritating conversation’ with her near kidnapper.
‘I kept saying I didn’t want to get out of the car, and I was not going to get out of the car,’ she told police. ‘Not bloody likely,’ she retorted as he continued to plead. ‘I nearly lost my temper with him. But I knew that if I did, I should hit him, and he would shoot me.’
Her sense of humour
Like her late-mother, Princess Anne is notoriously funny. When a member of the public waited outside for her at an engagement, she asked them: ‘Are you inside or outside?’. When they explained: ‘We’re just waiting for you Ma’am’, the humble royal retorted: ‘Oh…get away’
The way she swerved Donald Trump
Much like when one of your parent's most irritating friends comes to dinner, Princess Anne once backed quietly out of the door as Queen Elizabeth attempted to encourage her to speak to Donald and Melania Trump.
Her iconic sense of style
Serving looks since the 70s, Princess Anne’s incredible wardrobe didn’t just stop with the sport sunglasses. From oversized trench coats to colour blocking and structured menswear tailoring, her outfits have always toed the ever-elusive line between on-trend and timeless.
The hatred she has for Twitter
We all know what a depressing black hole of opinion Twitter can be at times. Yet, here we are doom scrolling every day. But Princess Anne has admirably escaped the notorious echo chamber: ‘I know what Twitter is,’ she told reporters. ‘But I wouldn’t go anywhere near it if you paid me, frankly.’
Her fun relationship with her late mother, Queen Elizabeth II
Whether helping your Nana change the channel or showing your mum how to use Spotify, it’s a steadfast element of nearly every family that the younger members help everyone else with technology—and it turns out the royals are no different.
During the pandemic, Princess Anne helped the Queen get to grips with video calls. ‘Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen,’ Anne asked her mother on a group Zoom for National Carers' Week, to which she replied: ‘Yes, well I can see four anyway!’ before the princess joked: ‘Actually, you don't need me. You know what I look like!’