The Princess Royal told Terry Wogan in an interview in 1985 how she manages long receiving lines of people she meets. Mr Wogan asked: “The thing that always strikes me as a formidable task is the endless receiving lines that you have to go to, say at a royal premiere or at a BAFTA award or something? How do you think of something new to say to each person you go up to?”

Anne considered the question and said that it depends, but she has one trick that helps her in thinking what to say, and hopefully speeds up the process.

She said: ”It’s rather like market research ‒ you can ask literally everybody the same questions, like you have three questions for that afternoon and you ask everybody the same questions.

“And with any luck it shortens the time involved because, if the person who’s standing next to the one you’re talking to is paying any attention, they’ll have the answers ready for you.”

The audience laughed and she added: “It doesn’t always happen.”

When Mr Wogan suggested she could just say “I loved the movie”, she pointed out that usually the introductions take place before they have even seen the movie, which she described as “a bit of a hazard”.

The host guffawed and suggested she says “I loved your last movie” instead.

The princess went on to explain how she encounters a similar problem when she is called to open something ‒ the wing of a hospital, for example ‒ that she hasn’t actually seen.

An incredulous Mr Wogan asked what the princess does when she is in such a situation.

Anne replied “I’m very short about it. I don’t say a lot.

“Yes it’s more ‘I am very much looking forward to seeing whatever it is I’m about to open’ ‒ or words to that effect.

“But I frequently thank them for the opportunity of having seen it before I open it, if I’ve been allowed to see it.”

Princess Anne is historically the hardest-working role in terms of number of engagements and carried out 506 last year.

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This means she meets thousands upon thousands of people every year, smiling, waving and making introductions.

Many of these engagements involve opening a new building, facility, statue or other new creation, while others involve visiting a charity she is a patron or president of.

Mr Wogan asked Anne whether she enjoys going to formal functions, commenting: “I mean, you have to keep that smile on at all times and be nice to everybody.”

Anne smiled and said: “Well you’re nice to most of yours guests really, aren’t you?

“You manage to smile at them and keep up the intelligent conversation?”

The TV host quipped: “But only for about 40 minutes, you have to do it for hours on end.”

Anne responded: “But I don’t have to speak to the same person for 40 minutes.

“I mean, everybody’s different, you seldom meet the same person twice.”

The Princess Royal has been a full time royal for 71 years now, having left school at 18 and chosen to jump straight into it rather than going to university.

Meanwhile, her brother Charles went to university and her brother Andrew enjoyed a military career before they dedicated themselves to royal duties.

Her nephews Princes William and Harry also had time in the military and her own children, Zara and Peter, who do not have royal titles, have forged their own careers with no prospect of royal duties falling to them.

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