A resurfaced comment reportedly made by Princess Anne years ago has revealed how she truly felt about her brothers' former wives. According to Daily Express royal photographer Steve Wood, the Queen's only daughter made a scathing remark about Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson and the late Princess Diana behind their backs, seemingly criticizing their relationship with the media.
"She viewed them both as lessening the stature of the royal family – too much tabloid for her," Wood said in the 2002 documentary The Real Princess Anne. "[Anne] was extremely annoyed when Diana became centre of stage and then Fergie became centre of stage as well for a while," he added. "She said about them behind their backs several times – 'those girls'."
According to the photographer, the press seemingly lost interest in the Princess Royal when Diana came on the scene. "Diana swept the world… Diana became the highest publishing picture everywhere."
Elsewhere in the documentary, The Sun's royal expert Harry Arnold claimed that Anne was "angry" that Diana's popularity often overshadowed her hard work. "I know that in private Princess Anne said to one of her colleagues, 'I work hard every day, I’m never in the paper, no one ever thanks me. All [Diana] has to do is turn up.' I think that about sums up their relationship. Diana stole everyone’s limelight," Arnold added.
Anne is often praised as the "hardest-working royal" due to her unwavering work ethic, ticking off a staggering 478 royal engagements last year alone. "Princess Anne is indeed one of the hardest-working royals," UK barrister and broadcaster Andrew Eborn told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power last week. "A no-nonsense royal, every time you meet her, she's very down to Earth."
