Princess Anne did not intentionally obscure Prince Harry's view at the King's Coronation.
King Charles' sister went viral after the 73-year-old royal's tall feathered cap stole the limelight at the coronation of Charles III, 75, and his wife, Camilla, 76, as king and queen, as viewers interpreted that she was sat in front of her nephew — who has been practically estranged from his family since he cut ties to live a normal life in the US with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — on purpose.
However, a new book by Royal author Robert Hardman rubbishes this suggestion.
In Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story, he penned: "At the Coronation itself, Prince Harry was seated in the third row of the royal section, immediately behind Princess Anne, who was wearing a striking red-plumed bicorn hat that remained on her head throughout.
"Social media snipers instantly concluded that Harry had been deliberately placed behind his aunt's tall hat to obscure his view."
It turns out the Princess Royal had to quickly change seats.
He continued: "This is nonsense. Not only do the Lord Chamberlain's Office not think like that, but the Princess Royal had only switched to that seat after her request for a speedy exit."
Reacting herself, Anne is quoted by Newsweek as saying: "'The hat was an interesting question. I said: 'Are you sure you want me to keep the hat on? Because it's quite a decent-sized hat.' And the answer was yes. There you go. Not my choice.'"