'Real reason' Princess Anne has been criticised by US media explained

Princess Anne was not received well by American media and received an unfortunate nickname when she first visited Washington to accompany her brother, Prince Charles, in 1970. While she might be considered one of the most popular members of the Royal Family now, she was subject to harsh criticisms by US news outlets.

Often dubbed the 'hardest working royal', Princess Anne completed a staggering 457 engagements last year in 2024, which is significantly and far more than other senior royals like King Charles and Prince William. The 74-year-old is a key member of King Charles' slimmed-down monarchy, but also stepped-up after King Charles' cancer diagnosis, where she was visibly present at more events.

On Channel 5's 'Princess Anne: A Quite Remarkable Royal', journalist Victoria Murphy commented on how the US media first viewed her. She said: "This trip was actually quite challenging because she got some negative press as a result of this trip from the US media. They were quite quick to pick up on the fact that she wasn't smiling very often.

"They thought that she didn't look like she was enjoying herself as much as they thought she might."

During the royal visit, Princess Anne and Charles arrived in Washington on July 18, 1970, as part of a semi-official visit. They were hosted by President Richard Nixon's two daughters, Julie and Tricia Nixon and the President's son-in-law, David Eisenhower.

Her behaviour and facial expressions led to US media calling her "Princess Sourpuss". In 2021, commentator Penny Junor said: "She went to the White House to visit Nixon when he was President and there was a lot of negative press because she seemed to be so sulky.

"She looked at the time as though she didn't want to be there, they said. She refused to answer anyone's questions, snappily saying 'I don't give interviews."

The itinerary included visiting the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian Institution's Space Museum.

They attended a barbecue at Camp David and a Washington Senators baseball game. On the final evening, the Nixons hosted a dinner and a party at the White House, which was attended by over 700 guests.

Speaking of the visit, President Nixon said: "The fact that the visit is a personal visit and not an official visit is an indication of the closeness between the United States and Great Britain and the British Commonwealth, and also between the family in this house and the family in London."

At the time of their visit, Princess Anne was 19 years old, and had only recently taken on the responsibilities of royal duties.

The general impression was that Princess Anne was hounded by the American press because she didn't live up to Americans' views of how a princess should act.

The Princess Royal will turn 75 on August 15, but there won't be any public celebrations this year. It is reported the princess will spend some time away with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence before joining her brother in Scotland.