Princess Anne slams 'slimmed down' monarchy as she reveals all in rare interview

In a rare interview, Princess Anne slammed the notion of a 'slimmed down' monarchy as she revealed, "it doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing."

• Princess Anne has taken part in a revealing interview with CBC News.
• The Princess revealed her personal feelings when it comes to the future of the British Royal Family.
• In other royal news, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s new photo shows time really flies when you’re in love as fans praise their ‘PDA’ moment.

Princess Anne may be one of the busiest and hardest-working members of the Royal Family, but she rarely takes part in interviews, much less ones that ask hard-hitting questions about the purpose and future of the monarchy.

In a rare sit-down interview at St James’s Palace in London, Princess Anne sat down with CBC Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault and answered important questions about the upcoming coronation.

When asked about how the Royal Family was preparing for this historic event, the Princess Royal revealed, "We've been very lucky, my mother was the Queen for a very long time and although you kind of know that this might happen, you don't really think about it very much. Not least of all because the monarchy is all about continuity." 

She then revealed that for her elder brother, King Charles, this is an event he has had to prepare for much longer. "But I think for my brother, you know this is something he's been waiting for and he's probably spent more time thinking about it, for the rest of us it's more a question of okay we have to shift the way we support and that's what we need to do," she said.

When asked what that shift might look like Anne replied, "We don't know yet." She then said, "How we are part of the support for the monarchy may change slightly."

The Princess was then questioned about the 'slimmed down monarchy' rumors that have been circulating for some time and was asked what she thought about this potential structure.

"I think the 'slimmed-down' was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment," she laughed and then added, "I mean it doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing, I have to say, I'm not quite sure what else, you know, we can do."

Of course, the Princess was referencing the fact that the Queen and Prince Philip have passed and are no longer working royals. Similarly, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry are no longer working royals and therefore there are significantly fewer members of the Royal Family who are taking on the responsibility of supporting the monarch. 

In the interview, the Princess also spoke about the future relevance of the Royal Family. Anne admitted that it was only natural for people to question the relevance of the monarchy during a moment of transition, but she ultimately felt that the Royal Family provides a much needed continuity for the UK. 

"Its not a conversation that I would necessarily have, I think it's perfectly true that it is a moment when you need to have that discussion but I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long term stability that is hard to come by any other way," she concluded.