Prince Harry is not spending much time in the UK currently as he builds his new life with Meghan Markle in the US. He returned at the beginning of this month to unite with brother Prince William to unveil a new statue of their late mother Princess Diana. Before this, he also returned for Prince Philip's funeral in April while Meghan stayed at home, pregnant with Lilibet Diana.

       Much was made of how the royals would interact given the explosive interview the Sussexes had given with Oprah Winfrey just weeks before.

       Princess Anne, the Queen's only daughter, decided to stay out of the tension, according to royal expert Ingrid Seward.

       She said: "Anne has no need to get involved in the Harry and Meghan drama at all.

       "Remember she is her father’s daughter and he frequently chooses to distance himself from issues he didn’t consider his business."

       However, Anne has previously offered sympathy for Harry and Meghan, reports suggest.

       In July 2020, a royal expert said Anne "has sympathy" for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle because the "new, young and glamorous" royals face "pressure" in the role which is "not easy".

       Robert Hardman, who interviewed the royal for a documentary 'Princess Royal: Anne at 70', told Radio 4's Today programme: "She explains that she's rather glad she's not setting off on this path today."

       Asked if she has "sympathy" for Harry and Meghan, he said: "She does, and she talks about it."

       READ MORE: Princess Anne's feud with Princess Diana: 'If she's there I'm off'

       He added: "She fully accepts that the media are especially interested in the new and young and glamorous and that does place added pressures and it's not an easy role to play."

       Mr Hardman also explained why Anne had sympathy with the media pressure the Sussexes have endured in recent years.

       He explained how the Princess Royal had "clearly come to terms" with the challenges and pressures of her role.

       Mr Hardman said: "That was certainly part of the thinking in her decision not to give her own children titles.

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       "And we had a long chat with them, they're absolutely delightful, and they're both very forthgoing on how grateful they are that they've been able to have as normal a life you can when your grandmother is the monarch."

       Mr Hardman continued, telling of how Anne had remained dedicated to her royal duties.

       He said: "I think she was fairly straight forward in what she wanted to do. She didn't want to be a fairytale princess. She wanted to be hands-on.

       "She wanted to make a difference, not simply to be a figurehead."