Princess Anne might never have a good relationship with her sisters-in-law, Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson. Allegedly, Princess Royal had low opinions about the wives of her brothers, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, and even said negative comments about them.
According to Daily Express royal photographer Steve Wood, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's only daughter believed that their two daughters-in-law were "lessening the stature of the royal family." In the 2002 Channel 4 documentary, The Real Princess Anne, he said the British equestrian thought of Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson as "too tabloid," and she felt irritated how they managed to steal the limelight from her.
Allegedly, Princess Anne was "extremely annoyed" when the People's Princess and Fergie became the center of attention. She even referred to them as "those girls" behind their backs. This remark was said to be her way to express her opinion about Prince Charles and Prince Andrew's spouses.
She reportedly disliked how Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson made it on the newspapers always, while her hard work was being sidelined. When the Princess of Wales took the world by storm in the early '80s, the news about Princess Anne suddenly went old.
Former Daily Express reporter Ashley Walton revealed that the media took their eyes off from Princess Anne when Princess Diana entered the scene. He admitted that they "dropped her like a hot potato" and focused more on the People's Princess.
The public also began comparing the two princesses, especially Princess Anne's "business-like attitude" when doing royal engagements to Princess Diana's "personal touch." In the 2013 Amazon Prime documentary, Royalty Close Up: The Photography of Kent Gavin, royal photographer Kent Gavin noticed the Queen Elizabeth's second child didn't pick up babies like Princes William and Harry's mother did when they were in a tour in Africa.
To recall, Princess Diana touched everyone's heart when she held a baby that was diagnosed with AIDs. At the time, not everyone knew how HIV/AIDs spread, so a lot of people believed that it could be transmitted through touch. Hence, people who had it were being avoided.
But, Princess Diana didn't mind touching the babies and held as many as she could. On the contrary, Princess Anne didn't do anything like it. Instead, she kept her distance from them. In an interview, she irritatingly said that she didn't pick up babies on tours, like "other members of the family."
