Princess Anne Sees One Thing About Royal Appearances As “Patently Absurd”

Princess Anne prefers to stick to old royal traditions when it comes to public appearances. As the rest of the Royal Family’s walkabouts become less formal and more personable, the Princess Royal has stuck to the customs she learned as a child, believing it makes for an equal experience for every fan she encounters.

In the ITV documentary, Queen of the World, Princess Anne said the shaking of hands is a newer greeting for the royals.

She recalled, "We never shook hands. The theory was that you couldn't shake hands with everybody, so don't start. So I kind of stick with that, but I noticed others don't."

Prince William and Princess Kate often shake hands with fans, as does Queen Camilla and King Charles, despite growing up with his sister and learning the same practices.

The Princess Royal wouldn’t go so far to say it’s “wrong,” however, for her personally, it doesn’t make sense.

“I think the initial concept was that it was patently absurd to start shaking hands," she explained. "And it seems to me that it's become a shaking hands exercise rather than a walkabout if you see what I mean, so that it has changed."

Princess Anne finds it strange that walkabouts have become much warmer in an ever-changing modern landscape that increasingly becomes less interactive.

She mentioned, “I’m glad I’m not starting now because at least you [previously] had people to talk to—now you don’t really. Phones are bad enough but the iPads, you can’t even see their heads! You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

As meeting norms continue to bend with technological advances, Princess Anne has changed her approach to fans. The Princess Royal said, “I either don’t bother, or I say ‘look, if you want to meet us, I suggest you put that down!’”