Brian Poole, who was the frontman of the 1960s pop band The Tremeloes, explained how Princess Anne shared some kind words with him when he felt “nervous” at the Royal Variety Performance
Princess Anne once revealed her true character to a worried performer when she provided him with some reassuring words at a major royal occasion. Brian Poole, who fronted the 1960s pop group The Tremeloes (famous for their chart hit Do You Love Me), recalls encountering the industrious princess at the royal Variety Performance.
During the relaunch of Regent Sounds, a musician-operated guitar shop in London, Brian admitted that, at the time, he felt “nervous” when he greeted Princess Anne at the royal event.
Anne, who’s been characterised as “down-to-earth” in the past, lived up to her reputation and delivered a comforting six-word remark, encouraging him not to fret and emphasising that she’s “like everyone else”.
Brian revealed to the Mail: “I did the Royal Variety Performance before Princess Anne. I shook hands with her and said, ‘Sorry, Ma’am, I’m nervous. She said, ‘You don’t have to call me Ma’am. I’m like everyone else, don’t worry’.”
Anne, King Charles’s younger sibling and the late Queen Elizabeth’s sole daughter, is renowned for her tireless work ethic, but according to a former Royal butler, she’s also very much a “normal person”.
Speaking to Reach PLC via Spin Genie last year, Grant Harrold insisted that Anne is “exactly what you see in public”.
He also noted there’s “not really a different side to her”. He drew comparisons between Anne, whom Grant noted “everyone likes”, and her late parents, including Prince Philip, highlighting that she possesses “very similar traits” to both and describing her as a “hard worker”.
Grant elaborated: “She’s a hard worker, and is a very down-to-earth, normal person – she didn’t even want her children to have royal titles. She drives herself from A-B and goes out and about on her own.
“She’s as modern a royal as you can get, and behind closed doors she’s just like everyone else. She’s a real family person and loves her animals.”
The 75-year-old’s incredible dedication to duty has been widely documented. As one of the busiest senior royals, she undertakes hundreds of official duties each year, even exceeding Charles’ tally last year.
In 2024, she accomplished an extraordinary 474 engagements, the most of any royal, surpassing Charles’ 372. Tanya Curry, the CEO of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, previously struggled to “keep up” with Anne during a Royal visit.
Tanya revealed the incident happened during the Princess Royal’s trip to Leeds Rhinos, the West Yorkshire rugby club, alongside the late player Rob Burrow and his family.
Speaking to Hello! magazine, she remarked: “The stamina that she brings, mentally and physically, is amazing. I asked her if she wanted to take the lift or the stairs. She was up the stairs, as a security guard described, like a mountain goat.
“I was trying to keep up with her and have a conversation and not be out of breath, and it was all just in her stride. She walks into a room and lights it up.”
