Princess Anne was ‘ungracious’ in first US trip says Junor

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Princess Anne faced public backlash after she was branded “sulky” upon her first official visit to the United States. The Queen’s only daughter had accompanied Prince Charles to Washington in 1970, where they spent two days touring the capital and meeting with President Richard Nixon. A royal expert recalled that the Princess Royal was “not very well received” by the American press, due to her stand offish nature. 

Royal biographer Penny Junor said: “One of her first foreign trips was to America, where she and Charles went together and she was not very well received there at all.

“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’.

“She was very ungracious.”

Prince Charles and Princess Anne arrived at Washington D.C. on July 18, 1970, for a two-day semi-official tour. 

They were hosted by President Nixon’s two daughters, Julie and Trisha Nixon and the President’s son-in-law, David Eisenhower. 

During their stay, they visited Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Space Museum. They also attended a barbecue at Camp David and watched a Washington Senators Baseball Game. 

On their final evening, Julie and Trisha Nixon hosted a dinner and party at the White House, with 700 guests in attendance to honour the future king and the Princess Royal. 

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

When they arrived, President Nixon gave the royal siblings a tour of the White House, and made it clear that he would not get in their way during their visit. 

He 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 Common wealth, and also between the family in this house and the family in London.”

However, Princess Anne was dubbed ‘Princess Sourpuss’ by the American and British press, due to her apparent sulky countenance. 

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Princess Anne has previously spoken of her disregard for the media, famously telling a photographer to “naff off” and at one point, hiding in a shoebox to escape the tabloid press. 

Her no-nonsense approach has been interpreted as rudeness in the past, however her reputation has greatly improved in recent years. 

In the ITV documentary ‘Princess Anne at 70’, 2012 Olympics organiser Sebastian Coe said the Princess “doesn’t suffer fools gladly” and told the story of when Princess Anne called a committee member “the stupidest person” without realising her microphone was still on. 

Now, the Princess Royal is regarded as one of the most-hardworking and reliable members of the Royal Family. 

She has previously been called the family’s “trustiest anchor” and is regarded as one of the ‘Marvellous Seven’, the key working royals who support the Queen. 

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