Throughout the run-up to this year’s US presidential elections, Republican candidate Donald Trump has proved a divisive figure – earning widespread revulsion for his repeated personal attacks on opponents while inspiring almost cult-like devotion in his MAGA followers.
One person on this side of the Atlantic who probably wouldn’t like to see him back is Princess Anne. The Princess Royal – simultaneously seen as the hardest-working member of her family but also the one least likely to suffer fools gladly – earned a public telling-off from her late mother Queen Elizabeth II during a previous visit from the former Apprentice star and his wife Melania.
Recently-unearthed video from a Buckingham Palace reception in 2019 appears to show a somewhat annoyed Queen telling her daughter off for failing to greet Donald and Melania Trump at a NATO reception.
The clip showed the Queen with a line of dignitaries including Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Jens Stoltenberg, then-Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, welcoming and shaking hands with the Trumps.
As camera flashes repeatedly illuminate the scene, Princess Anne can be glimpsed on the left-hand side of the frame, waiting to enter Buckingham Palace’s state room with a somewhat guarded expression.
After sharing her own pleasantries with the Trumps, Queen Elizabeth then gestured to her daughter, seemingly directing her towards the American visitors while appearing distinctly unamused.
An exasperated Princess Anne can be seen spreading her arms in response – eliciting chuckles from onlookers.
The Times of London reporter Valentine Low wrote at the time that Princess Anne – who had not been in the official greeting party – had done nothing wrong. He added that Queen Elizabeth hadn’t been scolding but rather seeing who was next in line for the Trumps to meet, at which Anne “raised her hands in the air, laughed and said: “It’s just me.’”
Nevertheless, there was widespread amusement across social media when the video began circulating online. One person said: “The interaction between the Queen & Princess Anne is a thing of absolute beauty.”
“Princess Anne has long been the ‘not putting up with your s**t’ member of the Royal Family,” another added, while a third chipped in “The queen chastising Princess Anne for not greeting Trump and Anne not giving a single s*** is the mood we all need to take into today.”.
However, one asked: “Aren’t royals meant to be apolitical?”
