Princess Anne’s 70th birthday: Official photographs released
The Princess Royal is thought to have a strong bond with the Prince of Wales, as captured in Netflix series The Crown, although their differing characters can strain their relationship at times. Charles is more gregarious and extravagant, while Anne is considered to be much more stiff and, at times, rather cold. Their approach to the matter of climate change — in particular, the effect genetically modified (GM) crops can have on the environment — appears to have created a sore talking point between the royal siblings.
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Charles has followed in his father Prince Philip’s footsteps as a keen environmentalist, and over several decades, he has become the Royal Family’s loudest advocate for tackling climate change.
Even back during Tony Blair’s premiership, he was writing letters to the Prime Minister praising him for fighting back against GM food — although he acknowledged that opponents to the biotechnology had been dubbed “hysterical, extreme and anti-progressive”.
However, Anne has taken a firmly different stance, which she has since learned not to discuss in front of Charles.
When asked whether she and her brother ever address their differences on farming, she replied: “Yes… occasionally, but rather short.
“I don’t even go down the climate change route.”
Prince Charles and Princess Anne disagree on genetically modified food (Image: Getty)
Charles and Anne have a good relationship but tend to avoid one sore topic -- climate change (Image: Getty)
In an interview to celebrate her 70th birthday, she explained: “It has been an enormous advantage in many parts of the world to use GM wisely for very specific environments.
“It makes it much more likely to be able to grow what you need.
“I have to remind people that rapeseed oil was only made non-toxic to humans by the Canadians after World War 2 by genetically modifying the plant.
“It’s quite popular with all those people who don’t like GM.”
She added: “I think the way people manage ground is part of the discussion… Climate changes all the time.
“It has done so throughout the globe’s history, so there’s nothing new under the sun.
READ MORE:Prince Philip’s favouritism for Peter Phillips exposed
Charles and Anne with famous conservationist Sir David Attenborough when they were children (Image: Getty)
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“Somehow we’ve got to learn that our kind of life is changing.
“We’ve got to remember to respect what’s out there and how to live with it.”
The Prince of Wales, however, has warned that GM crops could create the largest-ever environmental disaster because of the damage scientists' research is having on the earth's soil.
He claimed it was a "gigantic experiment I think with nature and the whole of humanity which has gone seriously wrong", and that the focus should be on food security not food production.
Charles has also encouraged the public to eat less meat to reduce water usage.
Yet earlier this year, his sister took a swipe at veganism, a diet pushed by many environmentalists as a solution to reduce carbon emissions, while noting “single-issue groups” were her “biggest irritation”.
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Charles fears GM crops will diminish the world's soil (Image: Getty)
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Speaking to Tatler, Anne explained: “You can’t have a world without livestock. They are a necessary and very constructive part of our expectation to feed ourselves.”
Even so, it's clear the Princess Royal does agree with Charles in some aspects -- like her brother, Anne has become a beacon for sustainable fashion in recent years.
For instance, she wore the exact same outfit to Commonwealth Day in 2018 as to a day at Ascot races back in 1980, the Epsom Derby in 1985 and Royal Ascot again in 1990.
Charles has been commended for his efforts towards sustainability recently, too.
Anne in 1980 at Royal Ascot races and again in the same outfit in 2018, at Commonwealth Day service (Image: Getty)
Charles has been an advocate for eating less meat for years (Image: Getty)
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During an interview with Vogue, he noted that — like his sister — his mantra is “buy once, buy well”.
He added: “I’m one of those people who hate throwing anything away.
“Hence, I’d rather have them maintained, even patched if necessary, than to abandon them.”
He also added that he “can’t bear any waste, including food waste” and that he wants a “circular economy rather than a linear one”.
