Princess Anne is way below the line of succession and is unlikely to be the next Queen after her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. However, many are rooting for her. English journalist Rod Liddle weighed in on the future of the monarchy and what the Princess Royal has that the heirs to the throne, Prince Charles and Prince William, lack.
Princess Anne Is The Only Royal Who Has The Queen's Exceptionality
Journalist Rod Liddle was emotional in his op-ed for The Sun as he shared how he felt watching an emotional Queen at the memorial service of her husband, Prince Philip, who passed away last year. He described the 95-year-old monarch as "frail" but always "dignified and determined."
Liddle pointed out the Queen's struggles in the quarter of a century from Princess Diana's death, Prince Andrew's sordid relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's abdication.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Caribbean tour had the "same sense" after several Caribbean nations expressed their interest to be independent of the Commonwealth.
"Our old empire has had enough of the Royal Family, it seems," he added.
As Liddle watched the Queen during Prince Philip's memorial service, it seemed "the whole thing is kind of falling apart." The public has no appetite for the heir, Prince Charles. While Prince William and Kate Middleton seem nice enough but lack "majesty and mystery."
For her age, the Queen has endured too much, yet she still managed to lead the monarchy. Liddle believed she did because of her exceptionality which both the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge allegedly lack and only the Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, seems to inherit.
"The Queen made it work, because she is an exceptional woman. I don’t see that exceptionality in the rest of them — Anne, perhaps, excepted," Liddle added.
Princess Anne Would Have Made A Great Queen
For several years, Princess Anne has been named the hardest working royal. She has the most number of royal engagements almost every year. Yes, she has more appointments than Prince Charles and Prince William.
However, what convinced many that the Princess Royal would make a great Queen is her confidence and leadership, Nine.com.au. She is also tough and has a great role model, her mom, Queen Elizabeth.
"Anne's always been a tomboy, climbing trees, very confident, willing to explore and find her own way in the world while Charles has always been more timid and shyer and a sensitive character, Anne is the chip off the old block," royal expert Jenny Bond told Britain's Channel 5.
"In a way it was sad, that she had this great role model in her mother, a strong and powerful woman, at a time when women's rights were really starting to take off," she added. "Her mother was a great model and in some ways, it's a shame Anne wasn't born first. But even if she had, the rules back then meant that any son born to a monarch would always take precedence over his sister."
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Royal experts also said Princess Anne is the monarchy's "secret weapon." She has a "soft diplomacy" style that has helped the Queen several times already.
"Anne had a knack of being a path finder for the royals. If there was a tricky destination, they'd send Anne in first as she had a great ability to be very empathetic with people," royal commentator Richard Kay told Channel 5.
Do you agree that Princess Anne would have made a great Queen?
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