Royals

Why Princess Anne is just getting more and more popular

Anne's street cred is soaring!
Princess AnneGetty Images

Anne, Princess Royal may be turning 70 this year, but the chances of her mellowing with age are slim.

Frequently described as formidable and no-nonsense, the Queen’s only daughter has a reputation for being feisty.

But it isn’t putting people off – in fact, she’s gaining in popularity among the public and it appears the depiction of her in Netflix TV series The Crown is largely responsible.

Played by actress Erin Doherty, the Anne seen on the show is tough and determined, which is completely accurate, say royal insiders.

“The Crown has very much raised her profile, particularly among younger people who don’t know that much about her, and they are tending to warm to her,” says one source.

“She’s a breath of fresh air in the show, and that is very much what she was like.”

(Credit: Shutterstock)

In the series, Anne is disdainful of royal pomp and tradition, and would much rather be listening to David Bowie records alone in her room.

She’s also fiercely independent and not shy about arguing with her father, Prince Philip.

Yet strangely, the show has ignored the true-life event which demonstrated just how fearless Anne really is.

In 1974, she was the victim of an attempted kidnapping.

A 26-year-old man named Ian Ball followed the car containing her and then- husband Mark Phillips from a charity event, forced the driver to stop at gunpoint, shot her bodyguard and ordered Anne out of the vehicle, to which she replied, “Not bloody likely!”

The princess refused, having what she described as an “irritating conversation” with Ball.

“I kept saying I did not want to get out of the car, and I wasn’t going to get out of the car,” she later told police.

In the chaos, Ball also shot another policeman, Anne’s chauffeur and a passerby, before running away and being caught by police. Fortunately, none of those shot died.

Leaving out this incident from The Crown was a wasted opportunity to depict a true dramatic event and show how Anne is a force to be reckoned with.

It would have also earned the princess even more kudos, points out one royal commentator.

The programme also neglected to mention that she was an Olympian, representing Great Britain in the equestrian competition at the 1976 Games.

Princess Anne at the Wyle Horse Trails in 1976

(Credit: Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Anne has won even more admirers thanks to a video of her appearing to snub US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania at a function at Buckingham Palace.

However, the video is not quite what it seems.

When the Queen, who was greeting the Trumps, gestured to Anne as if to say “come here”, Anne appeared to shrug, as if she was refusing.

In fact what happened was the Queen had signalled to Anne, who was standing in a doorway, to see if any more world leaders were waiting to come in and meet her.

Anne had shrugged to say to her mother, “It’s only me.”

Even though it turned out Anne wasn’t being rude about the Trumps, it still gained her attention and boosted her reputation as a royal rebel.

WATCH: Did The Queen just tell Princess Anne off for not greeting The Trumps? Story continues below…

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Anne’s street cred soared even further when she was also seen on another video standing with a group of politicians who were joking about the US president.

Of course she already receives high praise for being a member of the royal family who more than pulls her weight.

In recent years, she has carried out more official engagements than most of her family, and in 2018 she was the hardest working royal, with 447 engagements in the UK and 71 overseas.

Her brusque manner has resulted in the media dubbing Anne Her Royal Rudeness, but that’s unlikely to faze her.

“She just gets on with the job and does things her way,” says a royal correspondent, pointing out that unlike other members of her family, Anne refuses to shake hands with the public when she does walkabout.

“I don’t think she is going to change in a hurry.”

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