Princess Anne remembers leaving Buckingham Palace in the 1970s to visit Silverstone to try driving a race car with Sir Jackie Stewart in a video call for his dementia charity.
The Princess Royal, 70, who lives at her Gatcombe Estate in Gloucester, accompanied the Formula 1 champion, 81, for a meaningful meeting in which they remembered their lasting friendship.
In a call recorded in support of the charity Race Against Dementia and shared online yesterday, close friends laughed when they remembered an unknown trip to Silverstone in the early 1970s. a man at Buckingham Palace about it.
Sir Jackie said the royal family looked ‘disappointed’ that he had been told he was driving, saying: ‘I got out of the car last and you left and you hardly we can get you out of the car after that, God knows how many laps you have done. ‘
Princess Anne, 70, remembers leaving Buckingham Palace to visit Silverstone to try racing with Sir Jackie Stewart in a video call for his dementia charity
The two considered meeting in December 1971 at an awards ceremony, and laughed when they remembered how late the Princess was as she was cleaning the stables.
Princess Anne joked: ‘This was a long time ago, we are still a little miracle here. ‘
At the time, Princess Anne was seeing Andrew Parker Bowles, before she began seeing Captain Mark Phillips, whom she announced she was engaged to in May 1973, before she married in the UK. -November the same year.
Meanwhile Jack Jackie had been married for almost 10 years, after marrying Jackie ‘s childhood sweetheart in 1962.
She mocked her work ethic in horse care, which she said was driven into the Queen, 94.
She said: ‘We were bought like that. My mother really wanted us to do all these things, we don’t just have a pony. We were bought to do all the work. ‘
During the call, the two recalled their lasting friendship after meeting for the first time in December 1971
Princess Anne admits she is not ‘the best traveler in the world’ in the chat debate with Sir Jackie
They went on to remember a trip to Silverstone in the early 70’s together, with Sir Jackie saying that when he arrived to pick her up at Windsor, the Princess was ‘somewhat disappointed’ that he had been told he would driving.
He explained: ‘That hasn’t changed if I can say that, you drive more than any other woman I know.
‘You always wanted to be behind the wheel, that was for sure.’
Sir Jackie remembered driving it around in a ‘very hot British touring competition car’ before the royal took the wheel.
Close relationship of Sir Jackie Stewart and Princess Royal
Close friends remembered their years of getting to know each other after meeting at an awards ceremony in 1971 (pictured, at the ceremony)
1969 – Sir Jackie wins his first Formula One world championship
1971 – Sir Jackie wins his second world championship. He was also made an OBE.
The Princess Royal won a gold medal at the European Events Championships and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The two meet when they were named Daily Express Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year at the Savoy Hotel
1973 – Sir Jackie wins third F1 world championship and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year
1975 – The Princess wins two silver medals at European Championships
1976 – Sshe becomes the first member of the Royal Family to compete in the Olympics, riding the Queen’s Horse of Goodwill in a three-day equestrian event
2001 – Sir Jackie is knighted
He said: ‘I was giving you heads because racing routes are very stringy, and it’ s not like you can see how far you’re going into corners, and of course you didn’t. you need to tell me that. ‘
The royal smiled: ‘I’ll take your word for it. Being the best traveler in the world, I didn’t feel like I was well moved.
‘That’ s my excuse, I was never a good passenger just because of how I felt, not because of the quality of the driver, honest. ‘
She said: ‘You took us around first and then you let us go.’
Sir Jackie recalled that no one from Buckingham Palace knew that Princess Anne would be visiting Silverstone to drive race cars.
Sir Jackie went on to recall a ‘miraculous’ portrait of the Princess seated in the Tyrrell 003, which he had originally intended to sell.
But he said he was persuaded by Walter Hayes, who was a PR executive for Ford who signed Sir Jackie at the time less well known in 1965.
He said: ‘Since no one knew, it seemed at the time, from Buckingham Palace down, that you would have been at Silverstone driving racing cars, so he got stopped.’
During the call, the pair also considered trips to Gleneagles for pigeon-shooting events and learning to drive on go-karts.
The two have maintained a close relationship over the years, with Sir Jackie Stewart regularly seen attending church in Sandringham with The Princess Royal
Princess Anne went on to talk about her pride in her daughter’s riding success and said he was able to give her the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics as ‘treat.’
She said: ‘It’s never easy to follow if your parents have been successful in sport.
‘I often wondered if it was something she really wanted to do but she was naturally talented and applied herself. ‘
After meeting at the awards ceremony in 1971, the pair quickly became friends and have remained close, with Jackie’s wife, Lady Stuart, goddess of Princess Zara’s daughter Tindall.
Sir Jackie has been regularly seen attending church with Princess Anne at St Mary Magdalene ‘s Church in Sandringham over the Christmas period over the years.