Princess Anne made a surprising revelation this week as she hosted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Anne, King Charles’s younger sister, recognized the likes of Sir Salman Rushdie, Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant and snooker star Mark Selby with their prestigious titles.
And it was while speaking to the latter that the Princess made an unlikely confession.
Mark, who just recently lost the World Championship final, spoke about their exchange after the investiture.
He said: “She was just chatting to me about the snooker, saying she watches a little bit of it and watched a bit of the final as well, so it was great knowing that she follows it,” he said.
Reflecting on his defeat to Belgian player Luca Brecel, the snooker ace said he was “disappointed” but that his previous wins had “softened the blow”.
“To get to the final is such a huge achievement,” he said.
“It is such a tough tournament to win over a few weeks, physically and mentally tiring, so to get back to the final after winning was a great achievement, and hopefully I can kick on from that into the new season.”
On the subject of the investiture, he admitted it was a “huge honour” to be recognized for his services to sport and charity, and that he had to “pinch” himself.
“From where I’ve come from being a young lad just playing snooker, I never thought it would come to this – quite an emotional day, really”, he said.
It’s not the first time fans have been given an insight into Anne’s TV habits.
Speaking to comedian Adam Hill at an investiture ceremony in November, Anne said: “We talked about comedy for five minutes, she asked me how I got into comedy, whether was it something I always enjoyed, whether I came here to do it, or was I doing it in Australia.
“I don’t think I’m breaking royal protocol by saying she said her favourite comedy show was Would I Lie to You? Then she asked if I’d been on it and I said no, and she seemed quite disappointed.
“I’ll now call Lee Mack and tell him the Princess Royal watches him!” he added.
Anne, 72, has a reputation for her quick wit and droll sense of humour.
During the pandemic, the late Queen got to grips with video calls with a little help from her daughter. The monarch and Princess Anne took part in a video call to support the nation’s carers during National Carers’ Week in 2020.
In the footage, Her Majesty’s Assistant Private Secretary Tom Laing-Baker can be heard introducing her, as Anne smiles and says: “Good morning at Windsor.” Appearing on the screen, the Queen said: “Good morning. I’m very glad to have been able to join you.”
Anne then tries to give her royal mother a rundown of how to use the video call, asking her: “Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen,” to which she replies: “Yes, well I can see four anyway!”
The Princess Royal then joked: “Actually, you don’t need me. You know what I look like!”
