Princess Anne is in Australia for a four-day trip with her husband Sir Timothy Laurence
Princess Anne had a very witty response to a question about her brother amid the ongoing Andrew Mountbatten Windsor scandal.
The Princess Royal, 75, is known for her humorous comebacks and quick one-liners, so it’s no surprise she had a response ready to go.
For those who need a reminder, King Charles stripped the former prince and Duke of York of both his royal titles and residence in recent weeks.
Andrew had previously announced that he would relinquish his titles due to new allegations surrounding his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, along with assault allegations from the late Virginia Giuffre, which he denies.
A blunt statement from Buckingham Palace, which was released on 30 October, said that Andrew would now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, while outlining that a formal notice about his lease at the Royal Lodge has ‘now been served’, following pressure from the public.
While the fallout continues, Andrew’s sister Anne is currently on a royal tour of Australia, where she attended a garden party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Signal Corps.
The royal met hundreds of Australian servicemen and women, including James Thorpe, who is president of the Royal Australian Regiment Association (RARA).
During the event, he told Anne that he had previously encountered her ‘brother’.
However, the Princess Royal simply responded with: “Which one? I have three,” which prompted laughter.
Some may have been nervous Thorpe was referring to Andrew and about to bring up a sensitive subject for the royal, but he then clarified by saying: “Ah, that’s the main one, Ma’am,” of course referring to King Charles.
When a 10 News journalist commented to Thorpe after the interaction that ‘she was probably relieved it was the older brother’, he responded: “I can’t say that, so…” before laughing awkwardly.
Of course, Anne is the second child and only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, with her three brothers being the King, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Andrew.
Following her Australia trip, Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence are set to head to Singapore for a two-day visit marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the nation and the UK.
During the two-day visit, Her Royal Highness will have audiences with the president and with the prime minister of Singapore, as well as visiting Kranji War Memorial.
Prince William found himself in a similar situation during his trip to Brazil last week and managed to swerve it smoothly.
During his trip, he did an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, who asked: “Given the fact there’s been a lot of change in your own family recently, you yourself have talked about this change. Just talk about that a little bit. Where do you see the change? What do you think needs to happen?”
The Prince of Wales responded: “I think the Earthshot Prize is a classic example of change. Rather than talk about it, we’re doing it. That’s where I want it to be.
“These people in here are the true action heroes of our time, and change will come by backing them, not by what I do.”
