Princess Anne: A rare glimpse inside the royal’s ‘surprisingly normal’ home

One social media user joked that the Princess Royal's living room was 'as cluttered as the average commoner'

Princess Anne is back in the headlines thanks toThe Crown, with the hit Netflix show’s fifth season landing on the streaming service this week.

The popular royal has previously been portrayed in the show by Lyla Barrett-Rye in the second season, and by Erin Doherty in the third and fourth seasons.

In the fifth season, the role has been taken on by Claudia Harrison, who depicts the Princess Royal during the Nineties, including in 1992 when she married her second and current husband, the Queen’s former equerry Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.

In February this year, Princess Anne offered a rare glimpse inside of her Gloucestershire home to the public, showing life at home with her husband.

The official Twitter account for the Royal Family shared an image of the Princess Royal and with Laurence watching the Calcutta Cup rugby match between England and Scotland.

Princess Anne is patron of the Scottish rugby team, who beat England 11-6 in their first win at Twickenham since 1983.

The Royal Family's account tweeted: “As @Scotlandteam’s Patron, The Princess Royal often supports the team from the stands.

“HRH and Vice Admiral Sir Tim cheered Scotland on from home today as they played England for the Calcutta Cup, 150 years since their first match”.

(The Royal Family/Twitter)

In the image, eagle-eyed fans could spot family photos and beloved books among the Princess and her husband's possessions.

In the top left, a black and white portrait of Anne with her daughter Zara as a baby and her oldest child Peter can be seen.

(PA)

Many Twitter users commented in amusement at the time on how “cluttered” and ordinary the HRH's front room appeared.

One tweeted: “Love to see that their TV watching room is as cluttered as the average commoner, maybe more so!”

Another commented: “I feel a little claustrophobic just looking at all the stuff in their living room!”

One fan wrote: “Disappointed she didn't have a pizza and a can of Stella on the table”.

A fourth remarked: “Cute how regular their living room looks. Definitely not curated”.

Last year, Princess Anne shared her thoughts on Netflix's royal drama series The Crown after admitting she has watched the show.

Speaking in an ITV documentary titled Anne: The Princess Royal At 70, which marked her 70th birthday, Anne said that while she does not watch the show anymore, she found the early episodes “quite interesting”.

The Princess Royal also commented on the actor who plays her in the series, after discovering that it takes around two hours for her to replicate the royal’s hairstyle.

In a past interview with Town and Country, Erin Doherty, who portrays Anne in The Crown, referred to her hairstyle as a “beast”, saying: “Makeup literally took 10 minutes, but hair, sometimes it would take two hours.

“It's its own beast. Literally, I would sit in the chair, people would come in and go and come in and go, and I sat still in the same place. But it was so necessary for her character because it felt like her hair and her fashion were the way that she was able to express herself in the confined, controlled environment that she grew up in.”

Princess Anne joked about the comments, stating: “Actually I read an article the other day about The Crown, the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did.

“And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’ I mean it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.”

This article was amended on February 17, 2021, to remove an incorrect reference to a brand of video-calling software.