Princess Anne loves chatting to her pigs.

The Princess Royal has guest-edited the new issue of Country Life magazine to mark her 70th birthday, and in the publication, she makes a surprising admission about her Gloucester Old Spots pigs.

Speaking about her rare breeds of animals, she lists the likes of the Buff Orpington hens, White Park cattle, Wiltshire Horn sheep as well as the Gloucester Old Spots, which she said were ''very chatty''.

In a 2000 word manifesto for the magazine, Princess Anne calls for a better future for the countryside, as well as speaking about her ''love and understanding of the natural world through their own experiences''.

She shared: ''Perhaps even more so for my father when, during his rather disjointed young life, he ended up at school at Gordonstoun and was introduced to the wilds of Scotland, both land and sea. Scotland had its influence on my mother, too, as did the big skies of Norfolk, and the huge fields and marshes of the Sandringham Estate.''

And Princess Anne - who turns 70 on August 15 - really showed off her ''passion'' for the countryside whilst guest editing.

Country Life's Editor-in-Chief, Mark Hedges, shared: ''It was an absolute delight to have The Princess Royal as our guest editor. Her passion for the countryside shines through with every feature, combined with her concerns that the right action is taken to safeguard the rural way of life for future generations, from providing affordable housing to dealing with fly tipping. We do hope our special edition makes a very fitting 70th birthday present.''

Whilst Country Life magazine's Managing Editor, Paula Lester, added: ''Working with a small team from The Princess's office at Buckingham Palace, we overcame the challenges of working from home across the country due to the Coronavirus pandemic to pull together an eclectic edition that truly reflects the issues and the country people that The Princess holds dear. Having sent nigh on 1,000 emails and made countless telephone calls, we are really proud of the edition and the way it reflects The Princess's commitment to the countryside and more than 300 patronage.''