And private real Anne
many others close to her, and details the Princess Royal’s lifelong juggling of family and duty. She was the first daughter of a monarch to go to school, the first royal Olympian and the first child of a monarch to insist her children were called Mr and Miss.
And Frances admits she, too, experienced how down-to-earth Princess Anne is.
“We decided against having a tiara sculpted. Princess Anne is not one for pomp and ceremony and has never been into royal titles, her children have none, and she’s not vain at all.”
At the end of the sitting, Frances was proud that the bust bore a very good resemblance and she was pleased at how she had captured the characteristics of Princess Anne in detail, with her profile so reminiscent of the Queen.
The final sitting took place at the end of January and Frances recalls how they didn’t have a film crew or a lady-in-waiting that time, and that Princess Anne was very relaxed despite the chilly temperatures.
“Princess Anne wore a green suit and agreed that was the outfit she would like to be included for the finished sculpture,” she says.
“I felt delighted that I was able to do this for her 70th birthday and that the sculpture had come at a very good time given her milestone celebration.
“I am delighted with the sculpture, which I think is one of my best pieces to date.”
Last month the bust went into the Bronze Age foundry in London’s Limehouse to be cast and the finished bronze bust was delivered to Frances’s studio.
“The clay sculpture went into the foundry where a mould was made,” she says.
“They took the original clay out of the mould and poured in the wax. It’s only when I am satisfied with the wax that it has a ceramic shell painted on, and when the shell is ready molten bronze is poured in.
“I went to view the finished bronze and I made slight adjustments to her eyes to make them more lifelike. I finished the colouring and now I am extremely pleased with the finished bust.”
Since the UK went into lockdown, Princess Anne has been staying at her private home of Gatcombe Park.
Viewers will also get a glimpse of her at home in the documentary as it shows how she relaxes with her children, her grandchildren and her animals at the Gloucestershire estate while her husband reflects on a shared love of the sea.
Frances is now planning an official unveiling of the bust once the restrictions and social distancing rules are lifted.
“Three busts will be made,” she says. “One will go to UK Youth, for whom it was commissioned, one will most likely go to Buckingham Palace to sit alongside the busts of the Queen and Prince Philip that I did – and the other will remain in my dining room next to my bust of Prince Charles!”
● For information about Frances’s work, see segelman.com
‘I think this is one of my best’