Looks Like Princess Anne Was Scolded by the Queen For Refusing to Greet Trump

Well, here's a sentence I didn't expect to type this morning: It looks like Princess Anne just refused to greet Trump (opens in new tab) at Buckingham Palace, was subsequently scolded by her mom, the Queen, and responded with the most simple yet effective of all IDGAF moves: the humble shrug. Yes, there's video, and yes, the video has very much gone viral.

Allow me to break it down for you. As the Guardian reports (opens in new tab), Queen Elizabeth II hosted multiple world leaders at Buckingham Palace Tuesday, to mark the 70th anniversary of Nato. As is custom, a royal line including the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles greeted Donald and Melania Trump at the Palace—but Princess Anne, notably, did not join the line. Footage shows the Queen gesturing at Anne, who waits in a nearby doorway—to which Anne shrugs and says, "I'm just waiting." The Princess laughs, but the Queen very much does not. Intrigue.

In fact, that wasn't even the only viral moment (opens in new tab) concerning Princess Anne and Trump to come out of the Nato celebration. A host of world leaders—Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte—joked about Trump, apparently unaware they were caught on camera. And who was right there with them? Yes, you guessed it: one Princess Anne.

Let's expand: In the video, Johnson asks Macron, "Is that why you were late?" to which Trudeau quips, "He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top." That sounds an awful lot like a reference to Trump, who held an impromptu 50-minute press conference Tuesday, as the Guardian reports (opens in new tab). Trudeau later added, "I've watched his team's jaws just drop to the floor."

Alas, Princess Anne's face is largely obscured in the video, though her signature hairstyle remains visible. Still, the few glimpses of her face indicate she's a very engaged participant in the conversation. All right, Princess Anne! Looks like you're quickly ascending in the royal popularity rankings!

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