Anne, Princess Royal Current Events 5: April 2008-December 2013


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A different hairstyle, curls maybe? That's really really difficult to imagine in Anne's case :)


Rather poignant to be thinking of Anne's hairstyle today, as in fact the death of her long term hairdresser Mr Michael Rasser of the Mayfair [London] Salon MichaelJohn has just been announced.

Michael Rassser was in many respects quite a 'one-off' as a hairdresser; his customers included many Royals and Society Ladies, but all the salon's clients were treated exactly the same as royalty. Your humble diarist first visited the Salon when she was 16! And I still visit the Salon for special occasions.

Michael Rasser used to be regarded as one of the only two hairdressers in London to be able to put a tirara on properly [the other hairdresser was Hugh of [Hugh and Stephens] of Ebury Street. This was somethign of an urban myth, but not entirely inaccurate for all that - your tiara never shifted if either Michael or Hugh had positioned it!

Princess Anne used to do much of hair unique style herself and Michael [never Mr Michael - when I was little, practically every hairdresser used the style of 'Mr' before his first name, e.g Mr George, Mr Andre etc] just used to 'pop round' to Buckingham Palace and 'finish her hair off'.
 
Oh nooooooo! He cut off my "back of the knee" long hair into a sleek angular "do" when he was with Vidal Sassoon in 1970. I grew it out again, but after a year or so cut it short for good. He knew I wasn't a long hair type of girl. His industry has lost a master.
 
The Princess Royal looks absolutely grand.
 
Princess Anne looked lovely this evening, and I particularly liked how she peered into the box of medals before opening it fully. Nicely done.
 
Thanks for the image links. The Princess Royal is so hardworking!

I have been watching some interviews from the early 80's of Anne and she was very comical! Her interview with Terry Wogan is darn right hilarious! She's quite sarcastic in her humour. I didn't really know what I thought she would have been like, but she's slowly becoming one of my Top 5!

Terry: Did you have any bets yourself?
HRH: No, I gave that up a long time ago....when I was about 12.
Terry: You lost all your pocket money?
HRH: Yes! *nods emphatically* To my nanny.

She's excellent.
 
I've noticed as of late how Princess Anne and Prince Charles are involved in the ceremony/occasion they are involved in. Examples would be Anne with the weapon and Charles on the bike. I love seeing it. And can I say that the Princess Royal looks wonderful! The smiles are so very nice to see.
 
Thanks for the image links. The Princess Royal is so hardworking!

I have been watching some interviews from the early 80's of Anne and she was very comical! Her interview with Terry Wogan is darn right hilarious! She's quite sarcastic in her humour. I didn't really know what I thought she would have been like, but she's slowly becoming one of my Top 5!

Terry: Did you have any bets yourself?
HRH: No, I gave that up a long time ago....when I was about 12.
Terry: You lost all your pocket money?
HRH: Yes! *nods emphatically* To my nanny.

She's excellent.

That's really funny. She strikes as someone who will say it like it is. I'd love to hear her observations on general public and the press. She'd probably tell the truth better than any reporter.
 
I wish someone could convince the Princess Royal that dying one's hair such a dark shade is not flattering at all. Honestly, God had it right when he made our hair "lighter" as we grew older. I'm not averse to coloring hair but making it so dark just doesn't work. It's a shame because she really has a very nice figure but a ligther hair color and more smiles would do wonders for her..... IMHO.
 
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On July 25, the Princess Royal opened the 57th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in
Westminster Hall, the Houses of Parliament, London.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 **

** Princess Anne opens the 57th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in London **



And on July 26, she made a visit to Amerton Farm and Craft Centre in Stowe-by-Chartley,
near Stafford, Staffordshire and received a gift of a miniature wedding cake to celebrate
the forthcoming wedding of her daughter.


** Pic **

** Princess Anne visits Staffordshire **


Today, July 29, Princess Anne has visited the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.


** Royal wedding: Princess Anne takes a breather from prep to visit University of Edinburgh **
 
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I'm looking forward to what she will wear tomorrow at Canongate !!
 
I wish someone could convince the Princess Royal that dying one's hair such a dark shade is not flattering at all.

I must agree that the dark hair does come accross as a bit too harsh. Maybe some lovely warm highlights would do the trick. Although Princess Anne is quite a conservative royal, she nearly always looks good when making public appearances.
 
A new appreciation of Princess Anne

I have only recently become interested in the Royals (thanks to William and Catherine) and have been browsing several web sites.

I have seen some lovely pictures of Princess Anne in her younger days but have been disappointed in her choices of outfits for the recent royal weddings. It appears that she needs some help in selecting her clothes as well as in a hair style as well as color. The clothes at the weddings are seen before Princess Anne; she is too lovely to not make her own statement. I am assuming that despite her background and all her public appearances she is at heart a down-to-earth low key person who does not especially care to look stylish. I am happy that she is comfortable with her looks, but with just a little change (and no real work involved), she could certainly look more fashionable.

Just a 74-year old in the States who probably hasn't got a clue!!! Wish I had some help with my clothing and hairstyles!!!! Anyone volunteer? LOL

BTW, I think the Princesses Eugene and Beatrice need some help, too. You can dress young but still be more "acceptable". It appears that they seek the most outrageous outfits to get attention. And, again, what do I know?

Love the forum and am particularly interested at this state in the personal jewelry of the royals, having seen the monarchy jewels in the London Tower. Quite the collection.
 
Princess Anne has always been conservative and therefore hardly ever "gets it wrong". Princesses Eugene and Beatrice I think are still "finding themselves" in fashion. The may have access to numerous designer outfits, however not all outfits would suit all women. Both Eugene and Beatrice did look a lot better at Zara's wedding though. I do hope they keep this up.
 
I have been following Princess Anne for years and she gets it wrong far more then she ever gets it right. She is conservative with style but her colours and prints etc are usually what get her in trouble. When she does get it right people tend to remark because it isn't something that has happened often over the years. Anne doesn't care what she wears and you can tell. Her colour choices can be quite out there. She has also been a royal who wears the same outfit again and again long before Kate started too. This can be a good thing but since several of these outfits were bad in the beginning they tend not to age well. The dress I loved was the white and yellow outfit I think she wore it to Charles and Diana's wedding. She has worn it since and it is a lovely outfit. I think it is time Anne did something with her hair she has had the same style since the seventies she needs to get it cut and change the colour. When Anne gets things right she can be stunning but lately she seems to be getting it wrong more and more.
 
I have been following Princess Anne for years and she gets it wrong far more then she ever gets it right. She is conservative with style but her colours and prints etc are usually what get her in trouble. When she does get it right people tend to remark because it isn't something that has happened often over the years. Anne doesn't care what she wears and you can tell. Her colour choices can be quite out there. She has also been a royal who wears the same outfit again and again long before Kate started too. This can be a good thing but since several of these outfits were bad in the beginning they tend not to age well. The dress I loved was the white and yellow outfit I think she wore it to Charles and Diana's wedding. She has worn it since and it is a lovely outfit. I think it is time Anne did something with her hair she has had the same style since the seventies she needs to get it cut and change the colour. When Anne gets things right she can be stunning but lately she seems to be getting it wrong more and more.

I agree with the colors and prints observation--she selects what she thinks is pretty without regard to how it will look on HER. I think her hair style would be ok if she would just trim and thin it--far too much.

I thought this was interesting--she wore the same yellow and white dress in 2008!!! Those gals must have huge closets to be able to keep all those dresses--and good memories if they decide what of the past they wish to wear (unless of course they go to the "vaults" to select.)


Princess Anne wears 1981 Charles and Diana dress to second 'royal wedding' - Telegraph
 
Please can I try to help with a little background information?

In my very humble opinion, Anne's whole manner of dressing, from the clothes she wears and the number of times she wears them, and her unchanging hairstyle at all of her appearances, whether on royal duties or private (but publically viewed) appearances [such as Zara's wedding] can ALL be attributed to her background: the theory is as follows:

Traditionally, for generations, the traditional Upper Class English lady was, generally speaking, NEVER too interested in 'High Fashion'. Concentrating too much on what one wore was felt to be evidence of being 'self-centred' / 'slightly vulgar' / without 'proper occupation'. These upper class values extended upwards to the BRF.

This is not to say that the traditional Upper Class lady was not interested in fashion, she was, but really only in a 'quiet good taste way' and there is a world of difference between 'fashion and high fashion'. The 'unwritten rule' used to be that at the start of each calendar season, ladies used to visit their Couturiers and order outfits for the months ahead along the lines of 'I'll need x number of day outfits' (suitable for racing and attendance at weddings and summer outdoor events and the like). I'll need y number of evening dresses' etc etc. It was felt slightly vulgar (for some reason) to be more specific as to the occasion, such as ' I will need 4 day outfits for Royal Ascot'.

The one exception to this 'non-specific rule' was the dress the Couturier created in accordance with the Rules laid down by the Lord Chamberlain for the lady's appearance at Court. [note to myself; after several PMs I have received, I must get around to writing about Presentations and Debutantes sometime] Even the outfits worn today by the typical upper class English lady to the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot are never the height of fashion - the typical Royal Ascot 'look' is more about style than bang-up-to-the-minute fashion.

I have mentioned this as 'the unwritten rule' - it was quietly acknowledged but never admitted out loud until Sir Hardy Amies, who was one of the Queen's couturiers at the time [along with Sir Norman Hartnell] let the 'cat out of the bag' by mentioning this!

And as well as the Couturier, a Lady's milliner was VERY important. Hats were always worn in the daytime when away from home; if lunching out, you even did so wearing your hat!! And no lady would EVER be without her gloves: day time gloves were straightforward; white evening gloves were ESSENTIAL, often with little buttons to enable you to 'fold' the palm part of the glove back for eating; rings being worn UNDER the glove and bracelets on top of the glove. And colouring your hair was felt to be a complete no-no 'She's a bottle blonde / brunette ' was a popular form of derisory comment in the 1950's according to my mother. Thus, if the grey began to show through, you either let it do so, or sneaked off to a trustworthy hairdresser and had your ORIGINAL colour restored. [Are you starting to see parallels with Princess Anne?!]

After young girlhood, being too concerned with high fashion and appearance was felt to be a bit, well, suspect. Contrast this with the Continental lady's concentration on clothes and fashion. In particular, French, Italian and Spanish ladies took great trouble with their appearance and followed fashion very closesly. The Uppper Class English lady always used to have a slightly ambiguous attitude to the well-dressed foreign lady -something along the lines of a mixture of admiration and suspicion. [Mrs Simpson's concentration on clothes was always frowned on by the typical upper-class English lady, it being regarded (according to my grandmother, who remembered the abdication very well) as further evidence of Mrs Simpson's general unsuitability.]

The well-bred English lady might not have been very interested in High Fashion, but that is not to say that her clothes were inexpensive - couture was very expensive. However, it was regarded as an 'acceptable expense'. Well-cut tweed suits for the country and riding clothes and shooting clothes could 'go on for ever', [as echoed above by the Princess Royal] particularly as they were classics that never dated.

Staples of the English Lady's wardrobe included cashmere sweaters [particulary the 'twin set', good leather handbags [generally not Gucci or Hermes], leather brogue shoes for the country, Silk scarves [in which case scarves from Hermes WERE acceptable]. Day time clothes were invariably accessorised with a pearl necklace [either a single strand or a triple strand, NEVER a double strand for a lady [another 'unwritten' rule] with perhaps a good brooch. Evening wear was a chance to sparkle in [preferably heirloom] jewellery.

Princess Margaret, particularly in the 1950's, was the nearest thing the BRF has produced in the way of a 'home grown beauty' until Princess Diana came along. However, in those days, 'High Fashion' seemed to be centred around women of 50 years of age: dig out some pictures of Princess Margaret when she was in her 20's and notice how she wore clothes that were the same, broadly speaking, as those of her mother's generation. Princess Marina was highly regarded as a beautiful dresser, but then of course she was not home-grown English! The classic compliment to pay an English Royal lady tended to be to remark on the beauty of her complexion [as, by and large, typical female Royals were not particularly beautiful or for that matter wonderfully dressed [which is NOT the same as being dressed in couture]. Princess Michael and Princess Diana are two modern Royal Ladies who took a great deal of trouble with their appearance and both were interested in clothes in a way that the typical British Royal Lady was not - which is another reason why I think that both ladies were regarded with a certain amount of suspicion by the BRF!

Princess Anne's wardrobe has always followed these classic dress rules. Four or Five years ago, I can remember being very surprised when I saw a photograph of the Princess in an evening dress that I had seen her wear at a charity ball in 1977. In other words, the dress was about 30 YEARS old!

Micheal Rasser, the Princess' hairdresser, once said in an interview that when the Princess told him that she could still wear clothes made for her 20 years ago, he responded to the Princess 'well, you shouldn't'. He also reputedly tried to get Anne to change her hairstyle, as he found the 'wodge' at the front 'not particularly becoming'. Anne steadfastly refused to budge on this, and the 'wodge' remained ....although on one occasion I remember that she wore an evening dress with a pink houndstooth printed skirt and RED [not auburn, red as in primary colour red] streaks in her hair. This latter attempt was apparently her concession to 'being fashionable' but the fashion commentators in the papers were not kind [unsurprisingly, as the effect was bizarre, not fashionable] and Anne [perhaps mistaking the attacks on her as relating to her fashionable appearance, rather than her curious appearance, which she appeared not to acknowledge] showed no desire to repeat the experiment.

Hope some of this is of interest.

Alex
 
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The Princess Royal together with husband Tim Laurence attended day five of the
Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week on August 10, 2011 in Cowes.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** daylife **
 
Please can I try to help with a little background information?

In my very humble opinion, Anne's whole manner of dressing, from the clothes she wears and the number of times she wears them, and her unchanging hairstyle at all of her appearances, whether on royal duties or private (but publically viewed) appearances [such as Zara's wedding] can ALL be attributed to her background: the theory is as follows:

Traditionally, for generations, the traditional Upper Class English lady was, generally speaking, NEVER too interested in 'High Fashion'. Concentrating too much on what one wore was felt to be evidence of being 'self-centred' / 'slightly vulgar' / without 'proper occupation'. These upper class values extended upwards to the BRF.

This is not to say that the traditional Upper Class lady was not interested in fashion, she was, but really only in a 'quiet good taste way' and there is a world of difference between 'fashion and high fashion'. The 'unwritten rule' used to be that at the start of each calendar season, ladies used to visit their Couturiers and order outfits for the months ahead along the lines of 'I'll need x number of day outfits' (suitable for racing and attendance at weddings and summer outdoor events and the like). I'll need y number of evening dresses' etc etc. It was felt slightly vulgar (for some reason) to be more specific as to the occasion, such as ' I will need 4 day outfits for Royal Ascot'.

The one exception to this 'non-specific rule' was the dress the Couturier created in accordance with the Rules laid down by the Lord Chamberlain for the lady's appearance at Court. [note to myself; after several PMs I have received, I must get around to writing about Presentations and Debutantes sometime] Even the outfits worn today by the typical upper class English lady to the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot are never the height of fashion - the typical Royal Ascot 'look' is more about style than bang-up-to-the-minute fashion.

I have mentioned this as 'the unwritten rule' - it was quietly acknowledged but never admitted out loud until Sir Hardy Amies, who was one of the Queen's couturiers at the time [along with Sir Norman Hartnell] let the 'cat out of the bag' by mentioning this!

And as well as the Couturier, a Lady's milliner was VERY important. Hats were always worn in the daytime when away from home; if lunching out, you even did so wearing your hat!! And no lady would EVER be without her gloves: day time gloves were straightforward; white evening gloves were ESSENTIAL, often with little buttons to enable you to 'fold' the palm part of the glove back for eating; rings being worn UNDER the glove and bracelets on top of the glove. And colouring your hair was felt to be a complete no-no 'She's a bottle blonde / brunette ' was a popular form of derisory comment in the 1950's according to my mother. Thus, if the grey began to show through, you either let it do so, or sneaked off to a trustworthy hairdresser and had your ORIGINAL colour restored. [Are you starting to see parallels with Princess Anne?!]

After young girlhood, being too concerned with high fashion and appearance was felt to be a bit, well, suspect. Contrast this with the Continental lady's concentration on clothes and fashion. In particular, French, Italian and Spanish ladies took great trouble with their appearance and followed fashion very closesly. The Uppper Class English lady always used to have a slightly ambiguous attitude to the well-dressed foreign lady -something along the lines of a mixture of admiration and suspicion. [Mrs Simpson's concentration on clothes was always frowned on by the typical upper-class English lady, it being regarded (according to my grandmother, who remembered the abdication very well) as further evidence of Mrs Simpson's general unsuitability.]

The well-bred English lady might not have been very interested in High Fashion, but that is not to say that her clothes were inexpensive - couture was very expensive. However, it was regarded as an 'acceptable expense'. Well-cut tweed suits for the country and riding clothes and shooting clothes could 'go on for ever', [as echoed above by the Princess Royal] particularly as they were classics that never dated.

Staples of the English Lady's wardrobe included cashmere sweaters [particulary the 'twin set', good leather handbags [generally not Gucci or Hermes], leather brogue shoes for the country, Silk scarves [in which case scarves from Hermes WERE acceptable]. Day time clothes were invariably accessorised with a pearl necklace [either a single strand or a triple strand, NEVER a double strand for a lady [another 'unwritten' rule] with perhaps a good brooch. Evening wear was a chance to sparkle in [preferably heirloom] jewellery.

Princess Margaret, particularly in the 1950's, was the nearest thing the BRF has produced in the way of a 'home grown beauty' until Princess Diana came along. However, in those days, 'High Fashion' seemed to be centred around women of 50 years of age: dig out some pictures of Princess Margaret when she was in her 20's and notice how she wore clothes that were the same, broadly speaking, as those of her mother's generation. Princess Marina was highly regarded as a beautiful dresser, but then of course she was not home-grown English! The classic compliment to pay an English Royal lady tended to be to remark on the beauty of her complexion [as, by and large, typical female Royals were not particularly beautiful or for that matter wonderfully dressed [which is NOT the same as being dressed in couture]. Princess Michael and Princess Diana are two modern Royal Ladies who took a great deal of trouble with their appearance and both were interested in clothes in a way that the typical British Royal Lady was not - which is another reason why I think that both ladies were regarded with a certain amount of suspicion by the BRF!

Princess Anne's wardrobe has always followed these classic dress rules. Four or Five years ago, I can remember being very surprised when I saw a photograph of the Princess in an evening dress that I had seen her wear at a charity ball in 1977. In other words, the dress was about 30 YEARS old!

Micheal Rasser, the Princess' hairdresser, once said in an interview that when the Princess told him that she could still wear clothes made for her 20 years ago, he responded to the Princess 'well, you shouldn't'. He also reputedly tried to get Anne to change her hairstyle, as he found the 'wodge' at the front 'not particularly becoming'. Anne steadfastly refused to budge on this, and the 'wodge' remained ....although on one occasion I remember that she wore an evening dress with a pink houndstooth printed skirt and RED [not auburn, red as in primary colour red] streaks in her hair. This latter attempt was apparently her concession to 'being fashionable' but the fashion commentators in the papers were not kind [unsurprisingly, as the effect was bizarre, not fashionable] and Anne [perhaps mistaking the attacks on her as relating to her fashionable appearance, rather than her curious appearance, which she appeared not to acknowledge] showed no desire to repeat the experiment.

Hope some of this is of interest.

Alex
Thanks Diarist, I had to laugh when reading your post because that is exactly how my mother and grandmother would have described the proper way for a lady to dress. Both however would up the couture quotient when visiting the continent, especially if the social event was in France. They also took a bit of merriment on commenting on how people who were not used to country life (usually Americans) would dress when spending a weekend at country houses.
 
Anne's hair really does age her - please please, allow a good stylist to cut and colour you hair Anne. The effect would be drastic IMO. Maybe, the clothes would follow, who knows? I guess if i'm honest, I doubt Anne will ever change. She seems like a take it or leave it type of women.
 
That is what I love about Princess Anne. A case of "what you see is what you get". No mess, no fuss. She has never been out to impress anyone and simply goes about her day in quite a normal and content fashion.
 
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I am curious about her hair, I could have sworn that when she was younger woman she was blonde and her "natural" hair color now is much darker. SO .... was she a wild child years ago who lightened her hair or has it darkened drastically over the years?
 
__________________


Princess Anne and husband Tim also attended day four of the Aberdeen Asset
Management Cowes Week on August 9, 2011 in Cowes.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

On day 6, August 11, Princess Anne started the Centenary Race Day:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **
 
Anne would make a great Commodore.
Why aren't there more female commodores?

(A title held be the senior captain within a shipping company and by the senior officer of many yacht clubs and boating associations)
 
I am curious about her hair, I could have sworn that when she was younger woman she was blonde and her "natural" hair color now is much darker. SO .... was she a wild child years ago who lightened her hair or has it darkened drastically over the years?
Wasn't HM a blonde as a child as well and gradually got darker? I know my eldest son did. He was tow-head blonde. Now he's dark brown. Interesting observation PoD. :flowers:
 
Yes Princess of Durham and Russo; a good few English babies are born with fair hair, but as they get older, they almost always go darker: most seem to then have a hair colour known as 'mouse'. [not fair and not brunette]. In Europe, the Scandinavians [particularly the Swedes] seem to be the best at retaining their blond/blonde looks all their lives. [You can sometimes see this in Minnesota as well!!!]

Anne has certainly got darker since she was photographed as a child. I presume that as she is now 60, she does now colour her hair. [Slightly OT, but in her late teens and early twenties, although Anne sometimes looked a bit 'horsey' - that Windsor nose etc, a large sector of 'Sloane Ranger' Males used to regard Anne as rather good looking - especially when she let her hair flow down loose. Don't forget that traditionally, 'home-bred' female members of the BRF are not particularly beautiful - traditionally beauty has to be imported into the BRF by marriage!!]

Although it is traditional for female members of the BRF to wear their hair 'up' [rather than loose] for engagements [even daytime ones], I do think that this did lead to many less-than-flattering photos of Anne, because that 'wodge' at the front does her no favours - there was never any sign of this when she was photographed with her hair down!!

Burghley horse trials start next week [I'm just looking through my Members' pack and information] and I see that next Sunday Anne is due to visit the Event and present the prizes. [she won the Event herself when a competitive rider]. As it is a 'country' event, I wonder if Anne will be able to adopt a more 'informal' style of dress on the day [hair loose?]. Probably not, as it will be a public appearance. [Mark Phillips is also involved in this year's event]

Alex
 
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Thanks Diarist, I had to laugh when reading your post because that is exactly how my mother and grandmother would have described the proper way for a lady to dress. Both however would up the couture quotient when visiting the continent, especially if the social event was in France. They also took a bit of merriment on commenting on how people who were not used to country life (usually Americans) would dress when spending a weekend at country houses.


Thank you NGalitzine and what you say about the Continent and indeed country houses all rings true to me as well. To be really accurate, I suppose to the 'Old School', Anne's style of dress would actually seem to be felt to be more 'correct' than that of Princess Diana's high fashion, even though the latter almost always used to look very well turned out.

There is another serious point to the 'dowdy' sort of way in which Anne dresses [and I suppose the Queen come to that - although HM does seem to be getting quite stylish in recent years]. The point is that as Anne sticks to a sort of non-style way of dressing and 'THAT' hairstyle, she doesn't really seem to 'date' so much and therefore she does not seem to 'age' so much! Find a picture of Anne undertaking a Royal Engagement in 1975 (say) and she looks broadly similar if you compare her undertaking a current royal engagement. [And if the dress is the same, then she will look almost identical!!:)]


Alex
 
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