Princess Anne's rugby post which generated more attention on her 'cosy' living room

Princess Anne generated more talk about her 'cluttered' living room than the rugby win. Credit: @RoyalFamily

You might think that a tweet from the Patron of Scottish Rugby would focus attention on Scotland’s first win against England at Twickenham since 1983.

But, when you share a photograph from your private home on social media, you cannot control where the attention will turn.

In the case of the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, the attention turned to the ‘lived-in’ feel of the sitting room she was in with her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, to watch the match.

Scotland beat England 6-11 this weekend.

Despite the significance of Scotland winning the Calcutta Cup, there was much Twitter and Instagram chat about the piles of books, the pattern on the sofa and the age of the TV cabinet.

The photo showed that Anne, a keen horse rider and former competitor in equestrian events in the 1970s, including the 1976 Montreal Olympics, has a number of porcelain statuettes of horses dotted around the room.

Princess Anne is the Patron of Scottish Rugby. Credit: PA

The only daughter of the Queen and Prince Philip is known for her ‘waste not, want not’ approach to life and has shown a keenness to recycle her outfits – sometimes wearing the same items decades apart.

She is not one for material things.

But the room of her house at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, had was filled with dozens of books, including ones called TheBirds of Britain and Europe and The English Dog at Home.

There were also pictures of her daughter Zara’s christening in 1981 which included her young son Peter Phillips.

On both Instagram and Twitter, where the image was shared by Buckingham Palace, users posted about the room with varying opinions on whether it showed a ‘cosy’ and ‘homely’ feel or a ‘messy’ one.

There was also a lot of chat about the ‘coral’ coloured sofa and arm chair with a bold floral pattern.

Many social media posts commented on how it was the perfect ‘granny’ room for Anne’s grandchildren and it included a dog bed for the couple’s bull terrier.

Princess Anne, who spoke to ITV last year for a documentary on her 70th birthday, has four granddaughters. Her son Peter Philips has Savanah and Isla and Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall has two girls called Mia and Lena.

Whatever else, the glimpse into the Royal’s sitting room has generated a great social media chatter – even if it wasn’t about the Six Nations Rugby Championship, which was the original aim.