The Princess Royal has long been considered one of the British royal family's hardest-working members, keeping up with a busy work schedule into her seventies.
Though Princess Anne, 74, famously follows a strict diet, there is an unusual dessert in her repertoire that she has admitted to pulling out at the end of a gathering hosted at her Gatcombe Park home in the Cotswolds.
"After all, one wants everyone out of the house by 9:15 pm at the latest," Princess Anne said previously of her dinner parties. "For pudding, I pass them a choc ice to eat in the car."
© ShutterstockThe famous choc ice, for those unfamiliar with the iconic eighties dessert, is a bar of vanilla ice cream covered in milk chocolate, which usually retails for between £1 and £2 in local British supermarkets for a box of eight.
© GettyIt seems in Anne's inner circle, the dessert is the ultimate crowd-pleaser and a way of telling the stragglers that the night has come to an end, and it is time for her nightcap.
Princess Anne's strict diet
Ice cream bars aside, Anne maintains a healthy approach to her diet, even if her food choices are not for everyone. The royal starts the day with a bowl of fruit to kick start her metabolism, with bananas being her favourite.
However, Anne likes her bananas a stomach-churning brown colour, the more overripe the better as it will digest more easily. For lunch, the princess offsets her fruit-oriented breakfast by packing in the protein with kippers.
© GettyThe oily fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to reduce inflammation and help maintain a healthy heart. If she's anything like her late mother, Anne will also allow space for a sweet treat.
© Karwai TangQueen Elizabeth was loyal to an afternoon tea and former royal chef Darren McGrady has previously revealed that she had a sentimental attachment to a Bombe Glacée Royale, a sweet chocolate and mint dessert served at her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip and made cucumber, egg and smoked salmon sandwiches a staple of her afternoon tea spread.
© GettyWhen she guest-edited an issue of Country Life magazine to celebrate her 70th birthday in 2020, Anne revealed that her go-to dinner was a devilled pheasant courtesy of the executive chef of the five-star Ritz Hotel, John Williams.
© Getty"A couple of whole pheasants are poached, then taken off the bone, shredded and kept warm in the poaching juices," he explained. "You just add freshly whipped cream, left in the fridge for an hour to stiffen, mixed with a good amount of Green Label mango chutney."
A royal foodie favourite
Princess Anne: 5 surprising facts
© Getty1. Hardest-working royal
In 2024, Princess Anne retained her crown as the hardest-working royal for a fourth year in a row, racking up an impressive 395 engagements in UK, alongside 79 abroad.
2. Criminal offence
Princess Anne became the first senior member of the royal family to be convicted of a criminal offence. In 2002, her three-year-old English Bull Terrier bit two children in Windsor, Great Park. She pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act and was fined £500.
3. Lucky escape
Just four weeks after her wedding in 1974, Princess Anne survived a kidnapping attempt. While driving down The Mall, her chauffeur had to stop the car due to another vehicle blocking the road. Ian Ball got out of the car and shot the chauffeur. Despite Ian shooting a total of four men in the encounter, Anne escaped unharmed.
4. Breaking tradition
When Anne's children, Peter and Zara, were born, she declined the chance to grant them royal titles. She explained her decision to Vanity Fair: "I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles."
5. Signature hairdo
In a 2020 documentary, Princess Anne exclaimed her surprise that it took two hours to style the hair of Erin Doherty, who portrays her in The Crown. Anne said it only takes her 10 to 15 minutes to do her own hair.
A love of a roast is one Anne shares with her nephew, the Prince of Wales. "In the evenings [Princess Kate] indulges her hobby of cooking William's favourite supper, roast chicken," royal expert Katie Nicholl said previously.
© Alamy Stock PhotoIt has been reported that the Wales family shun help at their Adelaide Cottage home and likes to cook for themselves. They will undoubtedly be fans of Princess Anne's walk-in fridge.
The Lady magazine reported: "Her tiny frame is testament to the fact that she is not a big eater, but the large walk-in fridge is her favourite place. The cook will leave snacks for the princess to graze on. Strong cheeses, pâté, and cooked hams hanging from the cold interior walls of the refrigerated room are in endless supply. Pheasants, of course, will hang when in season."
