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What Really Happened When Princess Anne Shrugged Off The Queen To Avoid Trump

The princess's apparent act of defiance against her mom and Trump at a royal NATO reception just scored her some big points on Twitter.

Sometimes mother doesn’t know best, even if she’s Queen Elizabeth.

Princess Anne won fans on social media by appearing to shrug off her reigning mother’s entreaties to join the handshake line for President Donald Trump at a royal reception for the NATO summit in London.

Mashable called it a “glorious act of defiance.”

But is that actually what happened? A report from the Press Association disputes that storyline.

Footage shows the queen with Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, greeting Trump and first lady Melania. The monarch then glances at Anne as if to beckon her to the line. Anne gives her one of those “who me?” open-hand gestures and smiles but does not come to the line. The president and first lady appeared to notice. And so did Twitter. (See the reactions below.)

The Press Association reported that the queen was merely asking Anne who was next in the receiving line, and that her daughter replied, laughing, “It’s just me.”

It still wasn’t clear if Anne formally greeted the Trumps at some point, though she was not officially part of the welcoming, according to PA.

This article initially reported that Princess Anne appeared to defy the queen’s wishes, and has been updated throughout to reflect additional reporting on the substance of her exchange with the queen.

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