Princess Anne’s bizarre handbag essential is something she reportedly "always" has with her and it actually makes a lot of sense.
Like her mother Queen Elizabeth before her, the Princess Royal is rarely seen without a handbag when she’s out and about at everything from royal engagements to Royal Family gatherings. Her signature style is iconic and fuss-free and Princess Anne’s go-to handbags are totally in-keeping with this and tend to be either crossbody bags or designs that she can hold comfortably under her arm. Most of what she keeps inside them remains a mystery, but her daughter Zara Tindall is said to have previously revealed one of Princess Anne’s unusual handbag essentials.
Unroyal and unusual as it might sound, according to the Daily Mail, the Princess Royal allegedly carries a kiwi with her when she’s on the go. This intriguing revelation was made in Robert Hardman’s bestselling royal biography, Queen Of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II, when Zara reportedly explained, "She always has a kiwi fruit".
This is probably one of the very last things many of us would expect Princess Anne to carry in her handbags, though in terms of nutrition, a kiwi is a brilliant snack choice. Kiwis are incredibly high in Vitamins C and K, fibre and antioxidants and are understood to help aid digestion. As most of the liquid is contained inside they are perhaps also easier for Princess Anne to take with her compared to softer fruits like berries.
Robert Hardman reportedly went on to claim in his biography that the Princess Royal often prefers to pull out a kiwi from her bag and eat that instead of having lunch. Her apparent disinterest in lunch is something Princess Anne shares with her older brother King Charles, who is famously said to skip lunch and work through instead.
In 2020 Princess Anne had an enlightening interview with Vanity Fair, who also shadowed her, and it was remarked upon that she missed a "quick luncheon". The senior royal explained that "during the day, eating’s not really an issue" for her and her priority was her schedule. Elsewhere, an aide disclosed that Her Royal Highness never stops for refreshments until her work is over.
With this in mind, Princess Anne’s bizarre handbag essential makes a lot of sense as a kiwi is a quick snack that wouldn’t take long to eat and wouldn’t be ruined if she didn’t eat it that same day. Whilst we might imagine the Royal Family enjoying seasonal, meticulously-prepared dishes cooked by expert chefs, the Princess Royal’s requirements for her breakfast aren’t quite as you’d expect either, and she also eats fruit for this meal too.
As per Hello! former royal chef Darren McGrady previously alleged to Today that the King’s sister "almost always preferred the bananas almost black - overripe - because they digest easier" and said that she has a very specific way of eating them.
"First, the ends of the banana are cut off. Then the banana peel is sliced down the middle from end to end so the unpeeled fruit can be opened," he stated. "The fruit is sliced into circles and eaten with a fork".
It’s a breakfast, rather like her choice of a kiwi as a handbag snack, that will probably divide the crowd. However, it clearly works for her and Princess Anne might well be enjoying eating her fruit in the sunshine at Balmoral now the Royal Family’s summer break has begun.
