Featured Image Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Topics: Royal Family, Prince William, Princess Diana, UK News
Britt Jones
Topics: Royal Family, Prince William, Princess Diana, UK News
Princess Anne was taking no prisoners when she delivered her six-word reaction to the birth of her nephew, Prince William in 1982.
The Royal, who is the mother of Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, had not been present at the birth of her nephew.
In fact, she had been travelling back from New Mexico just before he was due to be born.
It came as little surprise when reporters suddenly asked her how she felt about the late Princess Diana, then 20, giving birth to her first son on June 21.
Advert
While other members of the Royal Family might have been delighted and worded their reply as such, Anne has never been on to mince words.
I mean, do you remember when someone tried to kidnap her, and she simply declined the invitation?
23-year-old Princess Anne was travelling back to Buckingham Palace when a car blocked their way, whose driver, Ian Ball, pulled out a handgun and shooting both Anne's chauffeur and her security officer, Jim Beaton.
Ball then tried to get her to leave the car when she turned to him and said: “Not bloody likely.”
Moments later, Ronnie Russell, a passing boxer, punched Ball in the head and ended the kidnap attempt.
So, if she says that to a kidnapper, what do you think she said of learning about her nephew’s birth?
"I didn’t know she had one".
Of course, it was a shock that Princess Diana had given birth, but that’s quite the funny response and it even gets better.
When the reporters then asked her whether too much fuss was being made about the future king’s birth, she simply said, ‘yes’.
While this could have caused a little backlash for the family, a Palace insider explained the situation so that everyone could understand why Anne said what she did.
According to the Express, the insider shared that Anne was pressured due to her engagements at that time and because of the absence of her sister-in-law and her brother, her engagements were likely to have been quadrupled, leaving her stressed and overworked.
The insider said: "Anne works very hard and sees her sister-in-law picking up the glory. She’s sick to her back teeth with it all."
Now, decades later, Prince William and his three children share a close bond with his aunt.
He even spoke about her when appearing on Zara’s husband, Mike Tindall's podcast, explaining how she would chase him and Harry around Balmoral Castle when they were children.
He said that the Princess Anne was ‘quite quick’ and the ‘look that [she] had on [her] face was quite terrifying’.
But it’s not just Anne who the prince is close to as he’s said to also have quite a good relationship with Zara and Mike too.
The former rugby player has previously shared that the pair’s children, Mia, Lena and Lucas, are close to William and Kate's children too.
So, thankfully Anne’s little slip up on the day of his birth didn’t have any lasting effects.