Princess Anne has never been afraid to speak her mind, and her opinion on royal walkabouts is another example of her straightforward nature. While Prince William, Princess Catherine and other members of the Royal Family often spend time shaking hands with people during public appearances, Anne has never been particularly keen on the tradition.

Anne has a very different idea of what a royal walkabout should look like. She believes the emphasis on shaking hands can distract from actually spending time with the people who have come out to meet the Royal Family, which is why she has never been shy about questioning a tradition she feels has gone too far.

Princess Anne Questions the Point of Walkabout Handshakes

The Princess Royal shared her thoughts in the ITV documentary Queen of the World, which offered a behind-the-scenes look at royal life and the changing role of the monarchy.

Anne explained that royal walkabouts were once handled differently, with members of the family not expected to shake hands with everyone they met. The thinking was simple: when faced with large crowds, it was impossible to greet every person, so there was little point in starting a tradition they could not keep up with.

“The theory was that you couldn’t shake hands with everybody, so don’t start,” she explained.

Anne admitted that she had largely stuck with that older approach, although she had noticed that other members of the family had embraced the more modern practice.

She was careful not to suggest that the younger generation was wrong, but she clearly had reservations about what walkabouts had become.

“I think the initial concept was that it was patently absurd to start shaking hands,” she said. “And it seems to me that it’s become a shaking hands exercise rather than a walkabout, if you see what I mean.”

It was a typically direct observation from Anne, who appeared to question whether the focus on greeting as many people as possible had taken something away from the original purpose of these public encounters.

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Anne Also Has Strong Feelings About Phones and Selfies

Handshakes are not the only modern feature of royal engagements that has failed to impress the Princess Royal. Anne also had some pointed observations about the growing habit of people using their phones and tablets to photograph every moment of a royal appearance.

Rather than seeing the devices as a harmless way for people to remember an exciting occasion, she suggested that they can sometimes get in the way of genuine interaction.

“Phones are bad enough, but the iPads—you can’t even see their heads! You don’t know who you’re talking to,” she remarked.

Anne explained that she sometimes chooses not to engage with people holding up their devices, or simply asks them to put them away if they genuinely want to speak with her.

“I either don’t bother, or I say, ‘Look, if you want to meet us, I suggest you put that down,’” she said.

She also questioned why people seemed so determined to photograph an encounter rather than enjoy the moment itself.

“It is weird, as people don’t believe that they’ve experienced the event unless they’ve taken photographs,” she added, pointing out that they are often standing directly in front of the royal they have come to see.

Anne clearly prefers people to put their phones away and enjoy the chance to speak with her, rather than focus on taking pictures throughout the encounter.

The Princess Royal Has Never Been One to Follow the Crowd

For Anne, a royal walkabout should be about more than greeting a long line of people and shaking as many hands as possible. She would rather spend time having a proper conversation with those she meets, which helps explain why she has never been particularly enthusiastic about the custom embraced by William, Catherine and other members of the family.

That attitude fits with her reputation as one of the monarchy’s most dedicated working members. She has continued to carry out a demanding schedule of royal engagements, and her practical approach to the job has earned her considerable respect.

According to figures cited in recent coverage, Anne completed 478 engagements in 2025, underlining just how much work she continues to take on.

She has also shown little interest in the idea of stepping away from royal duties. When asked about retirement, she made it clear that she did not see it as a realistic option, explaining that there was no established retirement program for someone in her position.

It is perhaps no surprise, then, that Anne has little patience for customs she considers unnecessary. She may not share the enthusiasm of other royals for shaking hands with crowds or posing for photographs, but her comments suggest that she believes the point of a royal walkabout should be much simpler: meeting people, listening to them and having a proper conversation.

And judging by her famously blunt assessment, that is one royal tradition she would rather see returned to its original purpose.