Princess Anne has come up with a clever trick to avoid a hazard that her brother, King Charles, often runs into.
The solution was seen at the Rolls-Royce headquarters when the Princess Royal was invited to sign the visitors’ book.
Before signing the book, she was informed that the Prince and Princess of Wales had written their signatures on it in 2012 during their visit to the Seletar campus.
Avoiding a mistake often made by the King, Anne prevents any hazards with ink from faulty fountain pens by carrying a gold pen in her handbag.
The Princess Royal always carries a gold pen in her handbag
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PA
The King has a well-documented history of pen problems, including an incident in September 2022.
During a signing ceremony in Northern Ireland, Charles said: “I can’t bear this bloody thing… every stinking time” after having to deal with a leaky fountain pen.
The brand of the pen has never been officially disclosed, but the monarch has renewed the royal warrant for the Parker Pen Company.
Parker Pens is one of the world’s best-known manufacturers of fountain pens, but it also provides the somewhat safer option of ballpoint pens.
King Charles has a history of struggling with pens
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PAThe Princess Royal signed the document during a two-day venture out to Singapore.
Anne was seen strapping herself into the pilot’s seat to test out a flight simulator during her visit.
The Princess Royal sat at the controls of the Airbus A350, buckling into her seatbelt before laughing during her safety briefing with the captain.
Her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, experienced a flight in a separate simulator suspended in the air.
Both of the simulators had screens mimicking a runway through the front windows.
Anne and Sir Tim then received a round of applause from dozens of Rolls-Royce staff before they left the building.
The 75-year-old royal travelled to Singapore directly from a four-day Australian tour to undertake the Asian engagement.
Despite challenging weather conditions that threatened to disrupt proceedings, the monarch’s sister pressed ahead with her packed itinerary.
The Princess Royal spent Remembrance Sunday at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia, where she laid a wreath during her first visit to the Oceanic country in two years.
Anne spent the second day of her visit at the Hall of Remembrance for a special commemorative service.
The 75-year-old travelled to the country as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, which she has held since 1977.
The Princess Royal said: “One hundred years of service, innovation and dedication is a remarkable milestone, and it is indeed a privilege, as your colonel in chief, to share in this occasion.
“Over the past century, the Royal Australian Corps of Signals has played a vital role in every theatre of operations where our defence force has served.
“From the trenches of the First World War to modern operations across the globe, your work has enabled communications, coordination and connectivity, often under the most challenging circumstances.”