What we can all learn from the Princess Anne attitude
The Princess Royal is 70 this month and more popular than she’s ever been. In a documentary to mark the occasion, this week, the Princess confirmed her reputation as the really hard-working royal, and – now that the Duke of Edinburgh has retired – the most plain speaking.
She’s officially the good egg among the royals.
Mind you it’s only in the last couple of years that we’ve come to appreciate Princess Anne – mainly because we’ve seen what happens when royalty don’t play the game. Now we recognise that, while she’s obviously terrifying – and you don’t want to let your children or dogs anywhere near her bull terriers (the Princess is the only royal to have a criminal record, for possession of a dangerous dog) she’s an old-school legend.
And if she’s tough and stern at times, she’s also as reliable and low-maintenance as an old Land Rover. During the documentary she expresses surprise that the actress who plays her in The Crown needed two hours in the hairdresser’s chair before filming: “How could you possibly take that long?” she huffed. “I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes?”
And there it is. The Anne attitude, not yet extinct but certainly at risk from modern lifestyles and mores. If you aspire to being more like the Princess – or want to encourage your children to be more her – here are some useful tips:
Do not (see above) spend a lot of time and money on your appearance, also be suspicious of people who run from rain as if it were nuclear fallout, can’t travel in an open-top car, will not be separated from their blowdrier, etc
Understand that dogs are above children in the natural pecking order and, should there be an incident involving a child and a dog, it will invariably be the child’s fault (or, if said child is under five, the parents’).
Buy good-quality clothes and wear them to death forever. Note: Princess Anne! Please dig out the Zandra Rhodes dress from your engagement pictures (first marriage to Mark Phillips). Could the Duchess of Cambridge perhaps give it a whirl? It was such a good dress.
Don’t wear anything you couldn’t flee from a kidnapper in – eg those absurd five-inch heels.
Don’t affect feminine fragility/ act like baby Bambi if you wish to be treated as a man’s equal.
Never complain, never explain. Particularly never complain if you live in a big house with staff and never want for anything.
Even if you have the means, don’t indulge yourself. Even if you could have champagne every day, don’t.
Master a sport, possibly riding, it’s good for your self-discipline and confidence.
If you fall off get straight back on again. Also applies to life.
Assume that no one is interested in you, let alone your problems, and you’ll be much better off.
Stand up straight. Sit up straight. Play a straight bat.
Find satisfaction in your work. Don’t live for holidays and weekends and moan about how boring your job is.
That should do to get you started.
Is it just me…
Who saw Feud: Bette and Joan, loved it and when it ended found themselves longing for the next Old Hollywood feud to be given the Ryan Murphy treatment? Well, now Olivia de Havilland is dead at 104, he can get right to it. De Havilland and her sister Joan Fontaine were bitter rivals: the only siblings to have won lead acting Oscars and the only siblings to have gone up against each other for Best Actress in the same year. On top of that, their mother favoured Olivia and made Joan change her name. This feud makes Davis and Crawford look chummy.
Is it OK to…
Observe that Liz Hurley is again looking great in a bikini at 55. And not one of those 20-per-cent-more-coverage bikinis that 50somethings graduate to, if they’re doing bikinis at all. No, Liz is wearing a tiny, string-tied bikini. Incredible really. Respect to Liz. But we would like to point out that the straight on-to-camera angle is not the hard part of bikini wearing. It’s walking away that’s exposing. It’s moving, running into the sea (uh oh), getting in and out of the pool, sitting down on the sun lounger. Looking good front on is just the beginning.
