Princess Anne gushes over the 96-year-old monarch's 'extraordinary perspective' that the Queen has after years on the throne meeting officials from all over the world.
- May 2, 2022
AceShowbiz - Queen Elizabeth has to "stand back and let them get on" when she doesn't agree with her Prime Ministers' plans. The 96-year-old monarch's daughter, Princess Anne, has acknowledged the "extraordinary perspective" her mother has after years on the throne meeting officials from all over the world.
However, she's learned from the queen it is usually best to value people individually while also being aware of how they could have handled situations in a different way.
"When you tot up the number of leaders of countries and her own prime ministers, that's a quite extraordinary perspective," Princess Anne said. "Her memories and understanding of each of those was they reach that point and the impact they can make, but equally having the ability to recognize that every individual could do it slightly differently. That may be part of the value. We're not all the same."
Asked what she's learned from her mother, the 71-year-old royal added, "Maybe it is that style in the long term and the way you do things, remaining constant. I think it's the way you treat people, with respect for individuals."
"When you've been around for long enough and people keep changing at the top of your organizations, if you've had a good relationship, a bit like prime ministers, you need to accept the next one because that isn't necessarily the only way of doing anything," she further elaborated. "There are moments when you think, 'Are you sure that's what you ought to be doing?', but you have to stand back and let them get on."
Anne also praised the "real impact" her father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021 aged 99, was able to have over the years. She told Australian Woman's Weekly magazine, "Unwavering support is probably the best way of describing it."
"I think he also understood the things he was better staying out of – although it was quite difficult in the early days – but there were also distinct areas where he could help and did," she continued.
"His input and perspective and the fact that his travels took him to a slightly different area of the country and internationally could have a real impact. I think he learned how to distinguish when those moments were. I'm sure it wasn't very easy to begin with because there was no such thing as a role then. He had to invent that one."
