Princess Anne ‘exuded sex appeal’ and ‘hated’ what came with being a royal, designer claims

Princess Anne ‘exuded sex appeal’ and ‘hated’ what came with being a royal, an interior designer has reportedly claimed in a new documentary. 

• It’s been claimed that an upcoming ITVX documentary includes interior designer Nicky Haslam opening up about Princess Anne’s “sex appeal”.
• He apparently recalled dancing with her in Belgium and suggested she “hated” the “trappings” of being a royal.
• This royal news comes as we revealed that the “hardest thing” Princess Catherine ever had to do involved William, Harry and Meghan. 

There have been plenty of royal documentaries released over the years, including the BBC’s Prince Philip documentary in 2021 which featured heartfelt contributions from many of his and the Queen’s grandchildren and all of their children. Now an upcoming ITVX documentary, The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, is set to delve into the intriguing dynamics within the Royal Family once again. And according to the Daily Mail, it will see interior designer Nicky Haslam open up about how Princess Anne “exuded sex appeal”.

The publication has alleged that Nicky reflected upon a time where he danced with the Princess Royal in Belgium as he got candid in the first of the five-part series.

“I once danced with her at a party in Belgium and she's got it,” he apparently claimed. “I'll tell you, she exudes sex appeal. It's quite extraordinary, just exudes it. She's got huge sex appeal.”

Meanwhile, Nicky also expressed his belief that Princess Anne “hated the trappings that go with being a Princess” and shared his admiration for her free spirited nature. The Princess herself previously revealed during an interview with Vanity Fair that if she wasn’t a royal she would have been an engineer.

And whilst others have described her as a style icon or in Nicky’s case as a woman who “exudes sex appeal”, Princess Anne has remained committed to living a life of service. She might’ve been born a Princess, but it seems she’d rather be dedicated to her duty rather than focusing on the more glamorous side of the role.

“It’s not just about, Can I get a tick in the box for doing this? No, it’s about serving…. It comes from an example from both my parents’ way of working and where they saw their role being. I mean, my father served,” Princess Anne explained. “It was a more direct form of service, I suppose you could argue. And the Queen’s has been a lifelong service in a slightly different way, but they both have that perspective of service which is about working with people.”

Nicky Haslam’s suggestion that Princess Anne exuded “sex appeal” is said to have been made in an episode titled Love and Duty. It’s understood to have explained that despite a brief relationship between Princess Anne and Andrew Parker Bowles, his Catholic faith apparently meant he wasn’t considered suitable as her partner.

Andrew later went on to marry Camilla Shand, who is now Princess Anne’s sister-in-law and Queen Consort of the United Kingdom since her 2005 marriage to King Charles. The Princess Royal was one of the guests at Andrew and Camilla’s wedding in 1973, alongside the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. 

He and Princess Anne are understood to have remained friends and whilst Princess Anne’s “sex appeal” as a young woman might not be the first thing many fans think of, her charisma and hard-working nature are regularly praised to this day.