A royal expert has hinted that Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, revealed her true feelings towards Queen Camilla during a recent event. Earlier this month, after a brief period of ill health, the Queen made an appearance alongside Princess Anne to accept an honorary doctorate in literature.
The accolade was presented to the Queen by Princess Anne, who serves as Chancellor of the University of London. On one of the rare occasions when Anne and Queen Camilla appear together, Rebecca English from the Daily Mail noted the interesting dynamic between the two.
Despite the Queen’s higher rank, she showed deference to Anne, who playfully corrected Camilla and allowed her to go first. This joint appearance came after the Queen temporarily stepped back from duties to recover from a chest infection.
Discussing the relaxed royal engagement on the Palace Confidential podcast, Rebecca said: “It’s very rare that we see them doing an engagement together.”
Rebecca described a moment where the Queen paused to let Anne enter a room first, only for Anne to insist, with a small smile, ‘Oh no after you’ due to Camilla’s status as Queen and the public order of precedence. Rebecca suggested that this brief exchange offered “a glimpse as to what it must be like behind the scenes,” reports GloucestershireLive.
Rebecca reflected on the Queen’s deference to Princess Anne during a recent event, noting that despite her extensive experience, the Queen “was very happy” to take “the lead” from the King’s sister.
She elaborated: “It was quite deferential to her because this was her gig as Chancellor of the university and they had a really nice little banter on the stage. You could see how well they actually get on as sister in laws as well as Queen and Princess Royal.”
However, the Queen has had to cancel her appearance at the Royal Variety Performance to continue her recovery, the Daily Express reports.
A Palace spokesperson stated: “Following a recent chest infection, The Queen continues to experience some lingering post-viral symptoms, as a result of which doctors have advised that, after a busy week of engagements, Her Majesty should prioritise sufficient rest.
“With great regret, she has therefore withdrawn from attendance at tonight’s Royal Variety Performance. His Majesty will attend as planned.”
