Princess Anne is hailed as a ‘class act’ for her humble reaction to being cheered by rugby fans
Royal fans have praised Princess Anne as a ‘class act’ for her reaction to receiving an unexpected standing ovation during a Six Nations fixture.
The down-to-earth royal was left stunned when an entire stadium of rugby fans erupted into cheers for her during Scotland’s clash against Italy on February 7.
Having served as patron of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) for almost three decades, Anne, 75, is a firm fan of the sport and arrived at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico to support the team during their first game of the annual tournament.
But she was seemingly unprepared for the attention of onlookers and looked somewhat perplexed as legions of sporting fans cheered in her support.
The Princess Royal was seen looking puzzled before smiling and muttering a few words to the person next to her once she realised the cheers were for her.
Taking to Instagram to share their thoughts on the viral video, royal fans delighted in Anne’s ‘dignity and grace’, with one adding: ‘She didn’t realise the cheers were for her till someone told her. Love that smile.’
‘She looks so much like the Queen at times,’ added one onlooker. ‘Hardest working Royal.’
Meanwhile, other social media users praised Anne for being a ‘no frills princess’ who ‘just gets on with serving and representing’ the Royal Family.
The down-to-earth royal was left stunned when an entire stadium of of rugby fans erupted into cheers for the Princess Royal during Scotland’s clash against Italy on February 7
As the camera panned to Anne sat in the stands, sporting fans cheered in support of the princess, while she looked on with confusion. Once she realised the cheers were for her, Anne smiled and muttered a few indistinguishable words to the person next to her
‘Truly a magnificent human being and fantastic role model for women around the world,’ added another avid fan.
Anne has long held a reputation as the Royal Family’s most down-to-earth member and has often delighted royal fans with her quick wit and hilarious sense of humour.
And her surprise visit to the Six Nations game would certainly have offered a brief moment of respite to rugby fans north of the Border who were left disappointed by their 18-15 loss to Italy.
Previously described by the SRU as a ‘long-standing and committed supporter of Scottish rugby’, Anne has often travelled abroad to support the Scottish national team during the Six Nations tournament and rarely misses a match.
But beyond the stands, Anne has also routinely backed grassroots development and last year became patron of the Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation (MIPDF), which seeks to provide support to injured players across the Scottish game.
Announcing the Princess Royal’s involvement, Ian Rankin, MIPF chair, described Anne as a ‘dedicated supporter of the Scotland rugby team’.
He added: ‘Her passion for sport, her commitment to the game at all levels, is well documented and we are honoured to have her join us as our Patron.’
In 2023, during an appearance on her son-in-law Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, Anne revealed how she first became patron of the SRU by ‘accident’.
Having served as patron of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) for almost three decades, Anne, 75, is a firm fan of the sport and arrived at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico to support the team during their first game of the annual tournament
Taking to Instagram to share their thoughts on the video, which has since gone viral, royal fans delighted in Anne’s ‘dignity and grace’, with one adding: ‘She didn’t realise the cheers were for her till someone told her. Love that smile’
She added: ‘They asked me to go and open the East Stand [at Murrayfield Stadium] when it was built.
‘I had about two weeks’ notice because they had been let down, I can’t remember who by, and as it happened, the horse was lame and I wasn’t competing at the weekend, so I went.
‘About a month later, they asked me if I wanted to become patron.’
Anne’s Six Nations cameo came just a few days after her and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, attended the Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony in Milan where they delighted royal fans by waving enthusiastically to Team GB.
The Princess Royal, who is an acclaimed equestrian and even competed in the 1976 Olympics, is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and also President of the British Olympic Association.
As the first member of the British Royal Family to have participated in the Olympic Games, she is a frequent attendee of the Olympics and issued a touching video wishing Team GB luck ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
In a video posted to The Royal Family’s X (formerly Twitter) page, Anne said: ‘As your competitions begin, know that you will have the support of the nation. On behalf of us all, I wish you the very best of luck.’
Meanwhile, her heartwarming Six Nations appearance was also not the first time that the Princess Royal’s humility was showcased on the global stage.
Anne’s Six Nations cameo came just a few days after her and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, attended the Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony in Milan where they delighted royal fans by waving enthusiastically to Team GB
The Princess Royal, who is an acclaimed equestrian and even competed in the 1976 Olympics, is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and also President of the British Olympic Association
During the Firm’s annual walkabout at Sandringham on Christmas Day, Anne was showered with compliments online for her ‘humble’ response to a fan’s loving gift.
‘Are you sure? I’m probably the last person standing,’ Anne who turned around in surprise, replied, before walking up to accept the bouquet of yellow roses from a well-wisher.
The fan responded by saying ‘you’re the first to me every year’ before explaining she had ‘picked’ the flowers because Anne’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was fond of them.
Anne then quipped: ‘You didn’t pick these yourself, did you? I was going to say, your garden is doing better than mine!’
As the fan began fumbling over her words, Anne put her at ease by laughing off her own joke and thanking her again.
The clip, which amassed more than 1.5million views, saw royal fans overjoyed by her ‘humble and lovely’ attitude.
One eager fan wrote: ‘She’ll always be first in my book too, wonderful down-to-earth, hard-working lady.’
Taking note of the Princess Royal’s incredible work ethic, another social media user added: ‘I think she’s marvellous and doesn’t get enough credit for all she does.’
Meanwhile, a similar comment read: ‘More flowers for Princess Anne. She’s fabulous and needs more acknowledgement. I believe it is *her* who is the one holding the royal family together.’