Princess Anne blasts Prince Charles's views on climate change
Enthusing about genetically modified crops and dismissing the effects of and veganism couldnt be further away from the green views of . But these are the very forthright opinions of his sister, . Giving a rare interview to mark her 70th birthday next month, the Queens fiercely independent daughter jokes that her conversations with her elder brother are by necessity short due to their wildly differing opinions. Charles has openly lobbied against genetically modified crops, but Anne counters: 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 the Second World War by genetically modifying the plant. Its [ironically] quite popular with all those people who dont like GM. Asked if she and Charles have conversations about farming, she quips: Yes... occasionally, but rather short. The princess was speaking to Australian Womens Weekly magazine via a video call from Gatcombe Park, the 500-acre Gloucestershire estate and farm where she has spent lockdown. Princes William and Harry as well as Charles have linked last years devastating Australian bushfires to climate change, but Anne said: I dont even go down the climate change route. I think the way people manage ground is part of the discussion... Climate changes all the time. It has done so throughout the globes history, so theres nothing new under the sun. 'Somehow, weve got to learn that our kind of life is changing. Weve got to remember to respect whats out there and how to live with it. Talking with admiration of Australias indigenous population, she said: Theyve got a lot more knowledge and I suspect their ability to pass on the relevant knowledge is better than us. First Nations people have a much better understanding of what the dangers are, and fire would have been a massive danger throughout their existence. 'They know Australia a lot better than anybody else. I suspect they existed in quite a lot of climate changes already. Anne was also forthright over veganism, saying: You cant have a world without livestock. They are a necessary and very constructive part of our expectation to feed ourselves. 'Perhaps my biggest irritation is single-issue groups... We need livestock as part of the genuine mix that keeps land healthy. Annes children Peter and Zara, and their families live on neighbouring Aston Farm. She says her grandchildren both Zaras girls Mia, six, and Lena, two, and Peter Phillipss daughters, Savannah, nine, and Isla, eight all ride. They do occasionally come over, she says. It gives them a change of scenery and a bit more water to play in. I think on the whole youre very lucky if you can have children growing up on farms. They have more time to themselves; theres an expectation that they will actually go out and enjoy themselves on their own. You dont watch them every minute of the day. That is quite important. You also get to understand that if you have livestock and animals, that is part of the deal, you look after them. Theyre not just a radish! If you want one, you have to look after it. So ponies, dogs, whatever... thats all part of the deal... You have to try to get the message across that you have to work hard to keep a place like this. She is not sure whether she will pass Gatcombe on to them, however, admitting her old house is expensive to run. Anne turned down titles for her children when they were born, as Prince Harry and Meghan have done with son, Archie. She described having a title as a 'very mixed blessing'. But she said her children had done 'incredibly well'. Daughter Zara, married to former England rugby star Mike Tindall, followed in her mother's footsteps to compete in the Olympic games in equestrian. Anne was the first British royal to compete in the Olympics, when she too competed in equestrian at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal - she also won gold in the 1971 European Eventing Championships and two silver medals in 1975. Zara meanwhile won silver in the team event at London 2012 and was presented her medal by her mother. Her son Peter toured South Africa with the Scottish rugby team and now runs a sports entertainment agency. She says she wouldnt live anywhere but the country, saying: Ive never been a city girl. There was never a question of living in London. It was not a world for me. Anne says she has embraced the farming life for close to five decades now, and for the past 27 years has been joined in her passion by her second husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, focusing on rare-breed cattle, sheep, pigs, horses with the pigs allowed to roam in their woodland. However she said that she had not originally intended to take up farming. She said that when she was given the estate as a gift from the Queen after her marrying first husband Captain Mark Phillips, that it had 'more land than we intended getting'. Anne added that she still rides her horses every day and described her racehorse called Cloud Formation as 'the nicest, best-behaved horse I've had in years'.