Princess Anne is not only the hardest working member of the royal family – she's also one of the funniest.
The 76-year-old has a reputation for being refreshingly blunt, having inherited her father Prince Philip’s famously dry, no-nonsense wit. And it has led to plenty of unscripted, hilarious moments that have further endeared her to the British public.
One such incident came during an official royal engagement when Anne was accidentally introduced as her older brother, now-King Charles.
The Princess Royal was announced to the room as Her Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales and as laughter broke out around the room, smiling Anne could be seen looking incredulously at the speaker, David Bolton, before rolling her eyes at his mistake.
"It's the excitement!" he told the royal, who quickly retorted: "There's a worry!"
Later on, Anne recounted another incident of mistaken identity, recalling an anecdote shared with her by Charles.
"My brother tells a story of having visited an elderly care home in Scotland, and at the time he was in a kilt. And he actually heard, when he was engaged in conversation down the other end, an old lady saying, 'Is that the Princess Royal?'"
© Chris JacksonAs the laughter started to subside, she concluded: "Thought it was quite funny. And I am wearing trousers today!" The video was captured back in 2012, when Anne attended the Young Advocates for Agriculture debate.
It's by no means Anne's only standout moment.
Princess Anne's hilarious video call with the Queen
During the pandemic, the late Queen got to grips with video calls with a little help from her daughter. The monarch and Princess Anne took part in a video call to support the nation's carers during National Carers' Week in 2020.
In the footage, Her Majesty's Assistant Private Secretary Tom Laing-Baker can be heard introducing her, as Anne smiles and says: "Good morning at Windsor." Appearing on the screen, the Queen said: "Good morning. I'm very glad to have been able to join you."
Anne then tries to give her royal mother a rundown of how to use the video call, asking her: "Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen," to which she replies: "Yes, well I can see four anyway!"
The Princess Royal then joked: "Actually, you don't need me. You know what I look like!"
The fashion faux-pas
Every year, the royal family gather at Sandringham for Christmas, and a key part of their day is attending the 11am service at St Mary's Magdalene Church. All those in attendance are impeccably dressed – but in 2019, Princess Anne and her sister-in-law, now Queen Camilla, suffered an amusing faux-pas!
© PA Images via Getty ImagesThe two ladies both arrived at church wearing very similar shades of purple – furthermore, they had both chosen dress coats, similar hats and long black boots. Luckily, they both took it in good humour. Anne was photographed looking Camilla up and down, before laughing the coincidence off.
Donald Trump's visit
The Princess Royal inadvertently made headlines during Donald Trump's 2019 state visit to Britain, when she was caught on camera seemingly being scolded by her mother, the Queen. A clip showed the monarch greeting guests at a reception held at Buckingham Palace. Anne could be seen standing off to one side – and in the video, the Queen turns towards her only daughter and appears to gesture to her to join the receiving line.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesPrincess Anne responds by widening her arms out and shrugging. The clip quickly went viral on Twitter, with one fan writing. "Princess Anne is the Queen of Shade. She is all of us."
However, it was later revealed that Anne had shrugged and told her mother, "It's just me" to signal there were no more dignitaries for her to greet. Gesturing behind her to members of the royal household, she added: "And this lot."
Her retirement from eventing
Princess Anne is known for her equestrian talents; she won two silver medals and a gold at the European Eventing Championships, and was the first member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympic Games.
© GettyBut she has another string to add to her bow. When summarizing what she had achieved during her career on behalf of ill-catered-for female riders, she dryly remarked: "I got them more lavatories."
The kidnapping attempt
Princess Anne's cool and calm demeanour was never more evident than in 1974 when she was the subject of a kidnapping attempt. Then just 23, Anne was on her way to Buckingham Palace with her then-husband Captain Mark Phillips after a film screening when their maroon Rolls Royce was waylaid on the Mall by a white Ford Escort.
© Getty ImagesHer bodyguard was shot in the shoulder by Ian Ball, before he approached the vehicle and ordered Anne to get out, or he'd shoot. "Not bloody likely!"Anne retorted. She later told an inquiry: "I nearly lost my temper with him. But I knew that if I did, I should hit him and he would shoot me."
Anne further spoke about the 1974 incident in an interview with Michael Parkinson. "We had a sort of discussion about where or where not we were going to go," she recalled to laughter from the audience. "Well, he said I had to go with him - I can't remember why," she added facetiously, before turning to her husband Mark. "You were quite obstinate about it," he added. "I said I didn't think I wanted to go," the Princess said with a smile. "I was scrupulously polite, because I thought, silly to be too rude at that stage."
