Princess Anne's very Anne Christmas includes black bananas

Princess Anne the royal family’s most tireless grafter knows when it’s time to slow down especially when Christmas rolls around.

While festive indulgence is very much on the menu for King Charles and Prince William, both of whom are partial to a classic roast turkey piled high with stuffing, Anne tends to take a far more restrained approach.

True to form, the 75-year-old is expected to keep things simple this year.

Although she is set to join the rest of the family at Sandringham, her festive fare is widely believed to lean towards clean, no-nonsense eating rather than lavish indulgence.

According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, the Princess Royal has a surprisingly specific preference, bananas that are well past what most people would consider edible.

Speaking previously to TODAY, he revealed that Anne “almost always preferred bananas that were almost black overripe because they’re easier to digest.”

Anne insists her bananas to be trimmed, slit and sliced into bite-sized circles before being consumed with fork and knife.

The the Princess Royal reportedly often skips lunch entirely, a habit she shares with her brother, King Charles.

Instead, her busy schedule and commitment to practicality means she sometimes goes straight from morning engagements to afternoon tea.

If she does get peckish, Anne is known to carry a kiwi fruit in her handbag as her emergency pick me up.

And despite what some might consider austere eating habits, the Princess isn’t shy about championing healthy food more broadly.

Recently, she used a London stage to stress that nutrition is a “basic requirement of life” and the importance of teaching children good eating habits delivered.