The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously emphasised their ambitions to appeal to a new "global" generation through their work. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously emphasised their ambitions to appeal to a new "global" generation through their work. Photo / Getty Images
Princess Anne has warned that the younger generation of the Royal Family should not always try to "reinvent the wheel", saying they must not forget the basics of service in their drive for doing it a "new way".
The Princess Royal, who undertook more than 500 engagements last year, suggested the younger generation were continually seeking new ways to work, rather than looking back to what had been done successfully already.
In an interview with Vanity Fair to mark her 70th birthday this year, she described herself as "the boring old fuddy-duddy at the back saying, 'Don't forget the basics'."
Princess Anne on the cover of Vanity Fair, to celebrate her 70th birthday. Photo / Vanity Fair
"I don't think this younger generation probably understands what I was doing in the past and it's often true, isn't it?" she said. "You don't necessarily look at the previous generation and say, 'Oh, you did that?' Or, 'You went there?'
"Nowadays, they're much more looking for, 'Oh let's do it a new way.'
"And I'm already at the stage, 'Please do not reinvent that particular wheel. We've been there, done that. Some of these things don't work. You may need to go back to basics.' "
Speaking of her own work, which includes 50 years with Save The Children, she said: "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. 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."
The Princess Royal, who undertook more than 500 engagements last year, suggested the younger generation were continually seeking new ways to work, rather than looking back to what had been done successfully already. Photo / Getty Images
Vanity Fair did not detail which younger members of the Royal Family the Princess had in mind.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously emphasised their ambitions to appeal to a new "global" generation through their work, saying earlier this year that they had sought to "carve out a progressive new role within this institution" before deciding to leave it.
Now, they said, they "intend to develop a new way to effect change" with a non-profit organisation.
In recent years, both they and the Cambridges have concentrated on delving "deeper" into key causes, rather than each taking on hundreds of patronages like their grandparents, aunts and uncles.
In an interview about her career, charity work and family, she was also asked about her decision to decline titles for her two children Peter and Zara Phillips,, more than four decades before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the same decision for their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
"I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles," the Princess said of her own children. "So I think that was probably the right thing to do."
Vanity Fair did not detail which younger members of the Royal Family the Princess had in mind. Photo / Getty Images
Her two children have gone on to forge their own careers. Zara Tindall is an Olympic medal-winning equestrian who is free to take business deals, and Peter Phillips has worked in banking and sports management. Earlier this year he was spotted on a milk advert in China.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a similar decision to allow Archie to grow up as a private citizen, without the use of a title. As they left the working royal family in January, they agreed that they too would no longer use their "HRH" as they pursued "financial independence".
The interview, which took place at St James's Palace, also saw the Princess Royal speak about her own upbringing, and experience at boarding school.
While her brother Prince Charles famously had a difficult time at his Scottish school, reportedly calling it "Colditz in kilts", Princess Anne said she thrived as a boarder at Benenden School in Kent.
"My case was slightly different to my senior brother's," she said. "I was ready to go to school. I had a governess and two friends and that was never going to be enough, really, so I was only too pleased to be sent off somewhere else.
"I think boarding school has been demonized by some when in fact it's a very important aspect to have available and many children actually thrive in it."
Princess Anne now has a reputation as Britain's hardest working royal, carrying out 506 engagements in 2019; second only to Prince Charles's 521.
Speaking of her aides, and the number of engagements she prefers to pack into a day, the Princess said: "I make their lives more difficult in terms of the logistics, I'm afraid, but if I'm going to be in London, I don't want to be hanging about.
"I'm fortunate that the programme that I make up is a direct result of being asked to do these things. It would be a pity if you didn't try and do them."
She has no plans to begin retirement at 70, pledging to continue as long as her patronages find her useful.
"I don't think retirement is quite the same [for me]," she told the magazine.
"Most people would say we're very lucky not to be in that situation because you wouldn't want to just stop. It is, to a large extent, the choice of the organizations you're involved with and whether they feel you're still relevant.
"But I think both my father and my mother have, quite rightly, made decisions about, you know, 'I can't spend enough time doing this and we need to find somebody else to do it' because it makes sense.
"I have to admit they continued being there for a lot longer than I had in mind, but we'll see."
On her own early career, which saw her ride in the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and become the first member of the royal family to win Sports Personality of the Year, she said :"I thought if I was going to do anything outside of the royal family, horses was likely to be the best way of doing it."
The Princess, who has recently found herself hailed as a "fashion icon", in part after television drama The Crown revived interest in her youthful wardrobe, also spoke about her determination to support the British fashion industry.
Joking that she re-wears clothes "because I'm quite mean", she said: "I still try and buy materials and have them made up because I just think that's more fun. It also helps to support those who still manufacture in this country.
"We mustn't forget we've got those skills, and there are still places that do a fantastic job.
"I very seldom buy anything which isn't made in the U.K."
The full interview is available in the May issue of Vanity Fair, out in print and digital on Friday, April 17th.
