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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could “learn some lessons” from Princess Anne’s approach to royal life, according to an expert. Richard Fitzwilliam’s comments come after a poll found the Princess Royal was the most popular member of the Royal Family among Brits.
Mr Fitzwilliams hailed the late Queen’s only daughter for her hardworking attitude to royal duties.
He also highlighted how Anne managed to escape much of the drama with the US-based Sussexes’ Netflix series and Harry’s tell-all memoir, which came after years of tensions with the Royal Family in the wake of Megxit.
The royal expert said: “Princess Anne has consistently been one of the most admired members of the Royal Family for decades.
“She usually carries put the most engagements and does so with a minimum of fuss.
“Her public image, which is linked to her work for Save the Children and her equestrian abilities, is excellent.
“It is no surprise that, having escaped the ire of the Sussexes, she remains popular.
“Popular feeling now after six weeks of a non-stop assault, bar a brief truce at Christmas, from Harry and Meghan, is obviously influenced by this.
“Hopefully, as the coronation approaches and royal tours are announced, polls, which at present show the monarchy’s support somewhat reduced, will reflect the institution’s real value.
“Her mantra is ‘keep calm and carry on’. Harry and Meghan could indeed learn some lessons from her approach, but it depends on whether they want to be popular in Britain. Their campaign is aimed at the US and the wider world.
“It also depends on what their ultimate purpose is. This we don’t know. We do know they are unpredictable, the reverse of Princess Anne.”
In the survey of 1,691 British adults carried out from Janaury 10 to 11, some 72 percent had a positive opinion of the 72-year-old, while just 13 percent had a negative view.
Prince William was second with 70 percent seeing him in a favourable light, but 21 percent were unfavourable.
Kate was third with 68 percent having a positive view of her, compared to 18 percent who were negative.
King Charles was fourth with 62 percent saying their opinion was favourable and 29 percent against.
It comes after the Duke plunged the monarchy into a fresh crisis with his book Spare, which hit the shelves earlier this month.
The headline-grabbing autobiography includes a series of bombshell claims about the royals.
The memoir sees Harry expressing his frustration at being the spare to the heir, his anger at the UK media, his unresolved trauma over the death of his mother Princess Diana, his mental health struggles, and the breakdown of his family relationships.
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