The Truth About Prince Philip's Relationship With Princess Anne
The Crown viewers are aware of the supposedly strained relationship between Prince Charles and his father, Prince Philip. Royal columnist Victoria Arbiter theorized during a January 2019 episode of The Windsors podcast, "I think he struggled with Prince Charles in some ways because Prince Charles is so different." However, Queen Elizabeth II's husband reportedly has a much different dynamic with their daughter, Princess Anne, who Arbiter said was "rough and tumble" as a child. The father-daughter duo reportedly has "a lovely relationship" due in part because Princess Anne "was up for anything." Eileen Parker, the wife of Prince Philip's best friend, Mike Parker, claimed to the Daily Mail, "[Philip] always had more fun with Anne." She also recalled that Prince Philip supposedly told everyone that his daughter was "the sweetest girl" when she arrived in 1950.
The two of them eventually bonded over their shared love for outdoor activities, including sailing, camping, and horseback riding. Of course, Prince Charles also attended, but these pursuits just weren't his thing. In contrast, Princess Anne was very athletic, succeeding at tennis, lacrosse, and even competing at the Olympics in the equestrian three-day event. She loves horses so much that Prince Philip famously joked, "If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she's not interested," according to The Telegraph.
It has been widely reported that the two royals get along so well because of their many similarities, so let's take a deeper look into what those are.
Princess Anne mirrors Prince Philip's personality
Many have weighed in on the relationship between Prince Philip and Princess Anne, including body language expert Judi James. She theorized to Express, "Historically, Anne has always been known as being closest to Prince Philip." She described them both as "stoic and dependable but also unfussy and upbeat as a companion." James added, "She is very much the chip off the old block as far as Philip is concerned." A Vanity Fair profile of Princess Anne backed up this assertion, stating, "She [Anne] has a reputation for having inherited her father's famously sharp tongue and waspish wit, once famously telling photographers to 'naff off' when they got in her way."
Prince Philip and Princess Anne will always be a topic of interest, but at least they have each other to lean on during times of frustration, even if that means just retreating from the media attention to sail or ride horses.