‘Furious’ Princess Anne Put Prince Harry, Royal Family Rift to ‘One Side’ at the Coronation
Princess Anne put her thoughts about the royal family rift to talk with Prince Harry at King Charles III’s coronation. Not only does an expert believe it was an “entirely natural” thing for the Princess Royal to do but it was also “better.”
Princess Anne talked to Prince Harry at the coronation
At Westminster Abbey on May 6, Harry talked to the other guests at the ceremony, including his aunt Anne. Shortly after taking his seat — in the third row — next to Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and their respective husbands, Harry had a short chat with the Princess Royal.
As Anne walked to her seat, one row ahead of Harry, she took a moment to acknowledge her nephew. According to a lip reader, Harry told Anne: “I don’t mind,” before adding, “Sit at the front!” (via Hello).
The exchange may have had something to do with Anne’s outfit. She wore her military uniform underneath a green cloak, topping the look off with a black hat.
The large red feather adorning Anne’s headpiece blocked Harry’s view, as seen in footage from the ceremony. Harry then joked around before the coronation got underway.
Anne did the ‘better’ thing by being ‘amiable’ with Harry at the coronation
Despite being “very unhappy” with Harry in relation to the royal family rift, Anne, royal expert Jennie Bond told OK, did the ‘natural” thing and talked to the Duke of Sussex.
“It was entirely natural to stop and chat with her nephew with whom, I think, she got on pretty well over the years rather than cause some kind of public scene,” Bond said, noting Anne has a “soft spot” for Harry.
“It was better to be amiable, but I am quite sure that deep down Anne has been absolutely furious with Harry for upsetting her mother, his grandmother, so much in her last years.”
In January 2023, Harry released his Spare memoir accompanied by various promotional, headline-making interviews. The coronation, the expert continued, “was neither the time nor place to discuss all that.”
“I mean, they look very relaxed together,” Bond said. “She would have just put things on one side a little bit, but I’m sure she is angry at the damage he’s done to the royal reputation, because she works so hard.”
“I don’t know how strong the relationship between [them] is, but Anne works so d***ed hard, so hard for the constitutional monarchy, and anything that damages it would make her very angry,” she added.
Princess Anne showed she’s similar to Queen Elizabeth by talking to Harry at the coronation
A few words with her nephew and Anne showcased a trait she shares with her late mother, being able to “compartmentalize.”
“Princess Anne is a very straight down the line and blunt sort of person,” Bond said. “She says what she thinks; she doesn’t pretend anything.”
However, as previously mentioned, that doesn’t mean Anne chose the coronation, complete with a televised broadcast, as the setting for her to tell Harry how she feels. Instead, she put the drama to “one side.”
“She is probably like her late mother, as Queen Elizabeth could always compartmentalize everything she was told,” Bond said. “So when the family was imploding but she had a job to do, she could just put that on one side and get on with the job in hand. And I think Anne’s probably a little bit like that.”
The coronation marked the first time Harry attended a royal family event alongside Princess Anne since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
