Princess Anne has a reputation for her razor sharp wit and witty sense of humour. And she also enjoys a silly joke – as she once demonstrated at a Royal Family Christmas.
The royals have a number of festive traditions they stick to every year, which includes unusual rules about exchanging gifts. In keeping with their German heritage, the family will open their presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, and will opt for ‘gag gifts’ over more expensive luxury items.
Speaking on Channel 4’s 2020 documentary ‘A Very Royal Christmas: Sandringham Secrets’, royal expert Katie Nicholl noted: “If you can achieve something that is tongue in cheek, and will have the Queen laughing, then you’ve really done well that Christmas. The more kitsch, the better.
Nothing ostentatious, or terribly expensive or lavish, that doesn’t really go down well with the Queen.” With that in mind, Princess Anne opted for a highly-unusual present for her older brother, King Charles, on one occasion – a leather toilet seat.
Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter explained why this gift was particularly apt on the show, saying: “What is it we used to call the loo? We would call it the throne. You go and sit on the throne.
“So buying a leather-bound loo seat was really Princess Anne’s way of saying, ‘Here you are, you’ve got your own personal throne!”
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Ex-royal butler Paul Burrell, meanwhile, added: “It’s the public school upbringing — and why wouldn’t Prince Charles like a white, leather loo seat from his sister Anne?”
The gift might also have been a tongue-in-cheek reference to a rumour that has haunted Charles for years – that he takes his own toilet seat with him when travelling.
The then-Prince of Wales was asked if there was any truth to the claims during an interview on Australian radio in 2018, and he shocked listeners with his bold response. “My own what? Oh don’t believe all that c**p!” he replied.
The radio crew from Hit105 also took the opportunity to verify Charles’ answer with his wife Camilla, asking: “So he doesn’t carry his own toilet seat when he travels?” “Don’t you believe that!” she answered.
It’s thought that the rumour initially came from Tom Bower’s 2018 book Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles. In it, the author described a list of items he said Charles and Camilla have with them everywhere they go, claiming: “His staff had also made sure to pack a small radio, Charles’ own lavatory seat, rolls of Kleenex Premium Comfort lavatory paper, Laphroaig whiskey and bottled water for both bedrooms plus two landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.”
But the claims have largely been dismissed with Charles and Camilla both strongly denying it.
