EXCLUSIVE: How Princess Anne is 'Driving Prince Andrew up the Wall' by Showing Him the Meaning of Being a 'Regal, Respected Royal'
Princess Anne has driven disgraced Prince Andrew up the wall by showing what a respected royal looks like.
Oct. 2 2025, Published 5:53 p.m. ET
Princess Anne has cemented her reputation as the most dependable member of the royal family – a record of service that palace insiders tell RadarOnline.com is only deepening the humiliation felt by her disgraced younger brother, Prince Andrew.
The contrast between the siblings could hardly be sharper. While Andrew, 65, remains mired in scandal following his links to Jeffrey Epstein and the loss of his royal and military titles, Anne, who turned 75 in August, has pushed on with a punishing schedule of public duties.
A Workhorse with Wit
Princess Anne praised as the royal family’s most reliable member.
She carried out 474 engagements in 2024, more than any other royal, despite a concussion that briefly hospitalized her in June.
A palace aide said: "Anne represents everything the monarchy is supposed to stand for – hard work and respect. For Andrew, who has lost all of that, it's a bitter pill to swallow."
Anne's no-nonsense work ethic has long been a hallmark of her royal role. During a state visit to Dublin last year she quipped, when asked to sign a visitor's book, "Am I wasting an entire page of paper?" The Irish president replied: "You deserve the whole page."
A palace source said: "That moment summed up why people admire Anne – she's modest, witty, and devoted to service. Those are qualities Andrew doesn't have, and he's painfully aware of it. It stings and is, quite frankly, driving him up the wall."
Unlike her brother, who has fought to maintain privileges for his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Anne opted out of royal titles for her own children, Peter and Zara Phillips. Both have built independent lives beyond the monarchy.
Blunt but Respected
At 75, she carried out 474 engagements in 2024, topping every other royal.
Anne's bluntness has also become part of her public image, but unlike Andrew's rudeness, it shows up in the most pressing circumstances and is seen as more evidence of her bravery and nobility.
Famously, when almost kidnapped in 1974, she responded to her attacker's demand with: "Not bloody likely." She has never been shy of putting people in their place – whether snapping "naff off" at paparazzi or refusing to call Cherie Blair by her first name.
A former aide said: "Anne never plays at deference, and people respect her for that. Andrew does the opposite and ends up ridiculed."
Duty Without Fuss
Anne's modest, witty style has won her admiration worldwide.
Her sense of duty has extended across decades of patronage – from Save the Children to the Riding for the Disabled Association. Even after suffering a concussion when she was recently kicked by a horse, she returned swiftly to engagements.
One longtime associate said: "Anne doesn't see leisure as important – she simply keeps working without fuss."
Andrew Lownie's recently released book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York portrays Andrew as boastful, reckless, and bitter about his fall. In contrast, Anne's steady reliability is described as a "yardstick" against which Andrew's failures appear even starker.
Honor Earned vs. Honor Lost
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Biographer Andrew Lownie says Anne is the 'yardstick' of royal duty.
A palace figure said: "What stings Andrew is knowing Anne is praised as the family's most respected royal, while his name is tied only to disgrace. It eats away at him."
Anne's public standing was reinforced by her role at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and King Charles III's coronation, where she rode on horseback as Colonel of the Blues and Royals.
A military source said: "Anne stole the show at the coronation – she was poised, authoritative, and real. Andrew couldn't hope for that kind of moment now. It shows the gap between honor earned and honor thrown away."
