08 February 2024 , 16:05
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It's one of the classic tasks royals get asked to carry out when out and about on duties.
But when Princess Anne was asked to cut a delicious-looking chocolate cake while out on an engagement in London today, she first issued a strict demand. The 73-year-old visited Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre in west London to mark its 35th anniversary when she was presented with the cake and then left the gathered guests in hysterics. As she held the knife in her hand, she told those gathered: "The instructions are that you will eat it if I cut it, because otherwise it's just legalised vandalism. Okay? Good. Enjoy the cake."
Anne sticks the knife into the cake (PA)The monarch's sister appeared in good spirits as she toured the charity pony centre, just three days after King Charles announced his shock cancer diagnosis. She smiled and said "thank you" as the chief executive of the British Horse Society (BHS), of which she is vice-patron, told her: "On behalf of all of us here I would like to pass on our sincere thoughts to His Majesty the King at this time, and to your family."
She was the latest member of the Royals to receive the support of the public in person after Prince William acknowledged well-wishers for both his wife and father at a charity gala on Wednesday evening. During her engagement at the pony club, however, the Princess Royal kept the focus on the work of its founder, Sister Mary Joy Langdon, and the celebration of the charity’s 35th anniversary.
She paid tribute to Sister Mary Joy in a two-minute speech, describing her contribution and commitment as 'exceptional', before she unveiled a plaque commemorating the visit. "We owe her a debt of gratitude for that commitment here," the Princess said, "It was a pretty muddy field then, and probably still quite a muddy field now.
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Anne admires one of the horses at the pony centre (PA)"But all of the things that have happened since then are a testament to her understanding of people and of the ponies and the horses that work together with them. Nobody really understands it better."
She appeared grateful and thankful when Sister Mary Joy told her: "We wish you and your family well at this time." During her tour, the princess met with the club’s volunteers and riders, watched a display in the indoor arena and handed out participation medals to riders as well as to teenagers whose lives have been changed by a BHS-led initiative.
The initiative, titled Changing Lives Through Horses, is a programme for disengaged children to develop life skills by caring for and being around the animals. The Princess made a group of teenagers who have taken part in the initiative laugh after she asked whether they had signed up for the course or been dragged along by their friend.
Actor Clunes is patron of the BHS-approved centre, near Westfield London, and is a keen horse breeder and rider himself. He said: "What [Sister Mary Joy] has done here is literally change the fortune of thousands of children - literally in their thousands. Kids who had been consigned to tiny little wheelchairs because they had such catastrophic disabilities, then she'll say get that kid off the chair and stick it on a pony, and they're walking now, [it's happened] more than once."
The actor added: "I think the princess does [like it here] because of course, she's forgotten more than most people will ever know about horses…We were just yakking about horses - I just got a new one three weeks ago that I was very keen to tell her about."