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Princess Anne holds a bouquet of flowers as she steps out for the Commonwealth Day Service

Princess Anne makes very surprising confession as she steps in for King Charles

Charles’s younger sister made the revelation during an investiture ceremony

Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
May 24, 2023
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Princess Anne made a surprising revelation this week as she hosted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Anne, King Charles's younger sister, recognised the likes of Sir Salman Rushdie, Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant and snooker star Mark Selby with their prestigious titles.

And it was while speaking to the latter that the Princess made an unlikely confession.

Princess Anne smiling at Ascot© Getty Images
Princess Anne made a surprising confession about her TV viewing this week

Mark, who just recently lost the World Championship final, spoke about their exchange after the investiture.

He said: "She was just chatting to me about the snooker, saying she watches a little bit of it and watched a bit of the final as well, so it was great knowing that she follows it," he said.

Mark Selby poses with his medal after being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)© ANDREW MATTHEWS
Mark Selby poses with his medal after being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Reflecting on his defeat to Belgian player Luca Brecel, the snooker ace said he was “disappointed” but that his previous wins had “softened the blow”.

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“To get to the final is such a huge achievement,” he said.

Mark Selby lost out at the final of the World Snooker Championship© George Wood
Mark Selby lost out at the final of the World Snooker Championship

“It is such a tough tournament to win over a few weeks, physically and mentally tiring, so to get back to the final after winning was a great achievement, and hopefully I can kick on from that into the new season.”

On the subject of the investiture, he admitted it was a “huge honour” to be recognised for his services to sport and charity, and that he had to “pinch” himself.

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“From where I’ve come from being a young lad just playing snooker, I never thought it would come to this – quite an emotional day, really”, he said.

Princess Anne holds a cup of tea at a street party© Getty
Princess Anne has a brilliant sense of humour

It’s not the first time fans have been given an insight into Anne’s TV habits.

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She is known to have a great sense of humour – watch her joke about being mistaken for her brother in the clip below - and she likes to tune in to comedy TV shows from time to time.

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Speaking to comedian Adam Hill at an investiture ceremony in November, Anne said: "We talked about comedy for five minutes, she asked me how I got into comedy, was it something I always enjoyed, whether I came here to do it, or was I doing it in Australia.

"I don't think I'm breaking royal protocol by saying she said her favourite comedy show was Would I Lie to You?. Then she asked if I'd been on it and I said no, and she seemed quite disappointed.

King Charles and Princess Anne laughing together© Chris Jackson
Anne and Charles have an incredibly close relationship

"I'll now call Lee Mack and tell him the Princess Royal watches him!" he added.

Anne, 72, has a reputation for her quick wit and droll sense of humour.

During the pandemic, the late Queen got to grips with video calls with a little help from her daughter. The monarch and Princess Anne took part in a video call to support the nation's carers during National Carers' Week in 2020.

the queen princess anne© Photo: Getty Images
Princess Anne with her mother, the Queen

In the footage, Her Majesty's Assistant Private Secretary Tom Laing-Baker can be heard introducing her, as Anne smiles and says: "Good morning at Windsor." Appearing on the screen, the Queen said: "Good morning. I'm very glad to have been able to join you."

Anne then tries to give her royal mother a rundown of how to use the video call, asking her: "Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen," to which she replies: "Yes, well I can see four anyway!"

the queen princess anne
The late monarch passed away in September 2022

The Princess Royal then joked: "Actually, you don't need me. You know what I look like!"

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