Princess Anne reveals one thing she loves more than horses

Princess Anne inherited many qualities from her late father, Prince Philip. 

The only daughter of Philip and the late Queen Elizabeth II, was so similar to her father in temperament that palace staff and royal commentators would sometimes jokingly refer to her as his "favourite son". 

Their shared passion for equestrian pursuits was another defining feature of their relationship. 

Referring to his daughter's enthusiasm for all things equestrian, He once delivered a characteristically mischievous assessment of her interests.

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"If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested," he famously quipped.

Anne was quick to challenge her father's sweeping verdict, responding with a witty correction that was every bit as direct as his original remark.

"That's a slight exaggeration - I do also like dogs, which eat meat, not hay," she replied.

She once joked: "When I appear in public people expect me to neigh, grind my teeth, paw the ground and swish my tail, none of which is easy."

Princess Anne's views on modern royal life

Anne explained 2018 documentary Queen of the World, in the past, members of the Royal Family traditionally avoided shaking hands with members of the public. 

The reasoning, she said, was  it was impossible to greet everyone in this way, it was better not to begin the practice at all.

"I mean we never shook hands," she said. "The theory was that you couldn't shake hands with everybody, so don't start. So I kind of stick with that, but I notice others don't."

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"It's not for me to say that it's wrong, but I think that the initial concept was that it was patently absurd to start shaking hands," she explained. 

"And it seems to me that it's become a shaking hands exercise, rather than a walkabout."