No, Princess Anne Wasn't Snubbing Trump With That Shrug
Between her depiction in the latest season of The Crown, and two new videos that went viral last night, Princess Anne is having a serious moment on the internet. But one of the clips of the Queen's daughter making the rounds on Twitter isn't exactly what it seems.
The video below shows the Queen and Prince Charles greeting President Trump and Melania during the NATO reception at Buckingham Palace. Then, the Queen looks over at Princess Anne, who shrugs, smiles, and says something inaudible.
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Is Princess Anne in trouble?
The Queen appears to glance awkwardly at Princess Anne who responds with a shrug 👀🤷♀️ as the royals greet US President Donald Trump and the First Lady at Buckingham Palace.
More here: https://t.co/oHytOtFUl7 pic.twitter.com/KKs9y9BgQe— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 4, 2019
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Many on social media took that shrug as Princess Anne snubbing President Trump, perhaps suggesting that she did not want to meet him. Here's just one example of that type of Tweet:
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The Queen chastising Princess Anne for not greeting Trump and Anne not giving a single shit is the mood we all need to take into today pic.twitter.com/W5cCFlq2Ui
— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) December 4, 2019
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But today, royal reporter Valentine Low shared the real story behind the footage.
"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," he wrote on Twitter.
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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.
2/5— Valentine Low (@valentinelow) December 4, 2019
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"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."
According to Low, this recounting of the scene comes from Press Association journalist Laura Elston, "who is as impartial a witness as you could hope for." But he also acknowledged that the true account of what happened might not catch fire as quickly as the narrative that Anne was snubbing Trump. "So, the truth is now out there. Not that anyone will pay any attention. Anne the Trump Snubber is a much better story," he wrote.
Royal expert Victoria Arbiter also clarified that she was never meant to be greeting guests in the receiving line that evening.
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#PrincessAnne has always been a national treasure, but truth is she was never set to be in the receiving line at last night's NATO reception. The Queen, Charles and Camilla were the only ones tasked with greeting guests. She's still cool though!
— Victoria Arbiter (@victoriaarbiter) December 4, 2019
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That said, another clip of the Princess Royal making the rounds on Twitter suggests she was part of a conversation about the U.S. President. In the footage below, her signature bouffant can be seen next to Canadian President Justin Trudeau as he seemingly discusses Trump's lengthy press conference, without mentioning the President by name. Princess Anne does appear to participate in the conversation, but it is impossible to make out what she says.
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.@JustinTrudeau, @EmmanuelMacron, @BorisJohnson and other VIPs shared a few words at a Buckingham Palace reception Tuesday. No one mentions @realDonaldTrump by name, but they seem to be discussing his lengthy impromptu press conferences from earlier in the day. (Video: Host Pool) pic.twitter.com/dVgj48rpOP
— Power & Politics (@PnPCBC) December 3, 2019
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Trump has since responded to the clip calling Trudeau "two-faced."
“Well, he’s two-faced,” the president said when asked about Trudeau by reporters ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He then added, “He’s a nice guy. I find him to be a very nice guy.”
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