Princess Anne’s hilariously blunt response to probing question by curious child

Princess Anne has been on a two-day trip to South Africa and during a visit to a horse riding school, one curious child had a question for her about her own horses – and she had an unexpected response

Princess Anne has been living up to her reputation as the hardest-working royal by embarking on a major trip.

King Charles’ sister has been on a two-day visit to South Africa, where she has been visiting a range of organisations in Cape Town. Anne has made the whirlwind trip alone, without her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

The former naval officer suffered a suspected torn ligament while working on the Princess’ Gatcombe estate and stayed in the UK as he is unable to fly due to him requiring treatment. On one engagement that horse-mad Anne was no doubt looking forward to was a a tour of the South African Riding for the Disabled Association, where she presented rosettes to a group of youngsters after a lesson.

She walked down a line of riders sat on their ponies handing out awards and chatting to the volunteers that accompany the children whenever they are in the saddle. One curious youngster called Lashwill was given his prize by the princess and asked: “How many ponies do you have?”.

And straight to the point Anne replied with a smile: “More then I should have” adding there was “one I do ride”.The princess has a lifelong passion for horses and competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics as a three-day eventer. She also supports a number of equine organisations including Riders for Health, The Horse Trust and World Horse Welfare.

The princess first visited the association in South Africa in 1994 and saw some of its 14 ponies in a stable and joked when she came across a grey pony so anxious to get out of his stall he was kicking the door.

Anne looked at the animal and joked with its groom: “Oh dear, interrupting another smooth running day”, but when told the name of the disruptive pony, she replied: “He’s actually called Maverick?”

After she travelled to the British High Commission and completed the planting of a variety of roses, first introduced in 2010, named Princess Anne in her honour. Before ending her day Anne chatted to British High Commission staff in the garden of the High Commission and toured a photographic exhibition by former England cricketer Nick Compton, the grandson of renowned batsman Denis Compton.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the trip, Anne offered sage advice to yachting hopefuls vying for a place in a prestigious transatlantic race, saying you will have to learn to live together.

Anne, a keen sailor, chatted to the group of young women hoping to be picked for Royal Cape Yacht Club’s (RCYC) entry to Cape2Rio – which sets off later this year with vessels racing between the two famous cities.

She also toured the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, which keeps alive the memory of the former archbishop of Cape Town awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984 for his opposition to apartheid in South Africa. The princess last visited South Africa in 2012 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, and she also toured the South African Astronomical Observatory.

It was built in the 1820s after George IV authorised the British Admiralty to establish a royal observatory at the Cape of Good Hope, to provide accurate star positions to help ships navigate the treacherous waters around the Cape. Anne was shown a dome housing three telescopes, the largest was a 24-inch refractor, and she was given a demonstration of the floor being raised so astronomers could see through the eye piece.