Princess Anne is known today as the hardest working royal – and for good reason. But just days before her 75th birthday on August 15th, a new look at her early life shows that her royal image wasn’t always so polished.
On Channel 5’s Princess Anne: A Quite Remarkable Royal, which aired at the end of last month, journalist Victoria Murphy explored key moments in the Princess Royal‘s life, including her very first official visit to the U.S. in 1970. At just 19 years old, Princess Anne joined her older brother, now King Charles, for a tour of Washington D.C., but received some very negative press while she was there.
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US Reporters Found Princess Anne's Demeanor Cold: 'She Wasn't Smiling Very Often'
During their visit, the young royals were hosted by President Richard Nixon's two daughters, Julie and Tricia Nixon, along with the President's son-in-law, David Eisenhower. Some of their schedule included visiting the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian Institution's Space Museum. On the final evening of their stay, they attended a glittering dinner and party hosted by the Nixons at the White House, which was attended by over 700 guests.
As per the documentary, Princess Anne didn't appear to come across very well with the U.S. media, as reporters found her demeanor cold, noting that she rarely smiled and was reluctant to engage with the media. "This trip was actually quite challenging because she got some negative press as a result of this trip from the U.S. media," Murphy reportedly explained in the documentary.
"They were quite quick to pick up on the fact that she wasn't smiling very often. They thought that she didn't look like she was enjoying herself as much as they thought she might." And Princess Anne's decision to avoid interviews also didn't help matters!
Princess Anne Received Negative Press For Appearing 'Sulky' And Saying: 'I Don't Give Interviews'
This trip was analyzed again back in 2021, when commentator Penny Junor told The Express that the media thought she was "sulky" during the 1970 U.S. tour, leading her to be nicknamed 'Princess Sourpuss.'
"She went to the White House to visit Nixon when he was President and there was a lot of negative press because she seemed to be so sulky," Juror recalled, adding: "She looked at the time as though she didn't want to be there, they said. She refused to answer anyone's questions, snappily saying 'I don't give interviews.'"
Royal commentator Wesley Kerr defended the Princess Royal, and explained that it was simply down to her natural expression. He said: "Her resting expression isn't smiling and happiness so I think there was some criticism from the U.S. press that she wasn't a fairytale princess, that she was perhaps a bit surly."
