Princess Anne in conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Nato reception held in Buckingham Palace. Photo / AP
Princess Anne in conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Nato reception held in Buckingham Palace. Photo / AP
A reporter has revealed what really happened between the Queen and Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace durung a dinner for NATO leaders - after a video emerged of the interaction left royal watchers guessing.
The Queen, in the process of greeting Donald and Melania Trump, was captured on camera making a subtle gesture to Princess Anne, standing in a nearby doorway.
Footage shows the Queen uttering something to the princess who looks bewildered and shrugs in response.
The interaction has sent royal experts into a frenzy and brought about numerous theories as to what happened.
Princess Anne gestures to her mother as the Trumps stand in front of the monarch at the Nato reception.
While some suggested Anne was snubbing the US President and first lady, a reporter at the event has revealed Princess Anne was telling her mother "it's only me", responding to the Queen looking for the next leader greet with a royal welcome.
The details came via a Twitter thread by The Times journalist, Valentine Low.
Mr Low explained: "OK, here goes... Princess Anne: the truth. No, she didn't snub the Trumps. And she wasn't told off by the Queen.
OK, here goes... Princess Anne: the truth. No, she didn't snub the Trumps. And she wasn't told off by the Queen. 1/5
"Instead the Queen, after greeting the Donald (and the Melania), turned to Anne to see who was next. But there wasn't anyone waiting: Trump was the last leader to be received by the Queen.
"Anne raised her hands in the air, laughed and said: 'It's just me,' adding a moment later 'and this lot' as she pointed to the members of the household behind her."
But before all of that, royal experts had a field day trying to decipher the exchange.
According to The Sun, body language expert Judi James said the Queen appeared to "wave" at her daughter, as if signalling she should come over and join in or move the procession along.
James considered their communication "pretty good-natured".
She told The Sun: "Once her greeting ritual with the Trumps is done she does appear to use a hand sweeping gesture to move the President and his First Lady along the line and Charles seems to grab his hand in a shake but the couple look keen to stay and chat with the Queen, prompting a second ushering gesture from her.
"HM is adept at quietly herding and ushering to ensure Palace events run like clockwork and her 'shake-and-push' handshakes are a legendary technique for getting guests to move along.
"Anne appears to be watching and laughing in the doorway and the Queen does seem to turn to her to beckon her in.
"This could be an invitation to join the group but it could also be a request to come in as the next people in the queue.
"Either way Anne just shrugs with her hands out."
Princess Anne in conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Nato reception held in Buckingham Palace. Photo / AP
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun he was "fascinated" by the encounter between the royal mother and daughter.
"Princess Anne is such a stable hand, perhaps it's time for us to see more of her," he said. "The royals have got to pull together in the crisis."
Princess Anne undertook 179 days of engagements in 2016 – out-numbering the efforts of many other family members.
She was last night part of the reception dinner at Buckingham Palace – seen standing quietly as French President Emmanuel Macron and Canada's Justin Trudeau appeared to gossip about Donald Trump.
The hot mic moment caught the leaders joking about a "40-minute press conference".
Several NATO leaders including France's Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel are in town to celebrate 70 years of the historic alliance, which keeps millions of people around the world safe.
The world leaders last night posed for a photo with the Queen to mark the occasion.
