Anne, Princess Royal

Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born in London on August 15, 1950) is an aristocrat and member of the British royal family for being the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Anne has held the title of Princess Royal since 1987 and currently occupies the 16th position in the line of succession to the British throne.

Anne, Princess Royal
Birth date	August 15, 1950
Birthplace	Clarence House, London, United Kingdom
Full name	Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
Husbands	Mark Phillips (1973–1992) Timothy Laurence (1992–present)
Offspring	Peter Phillips Zara Phillips
House	Windsor
Father	Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother	Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Brothers	Charles III of the United Kingdom Andrew, Duke of York Edward, Earl of Wessex
Religion	Anglicanism

Born at Clarence House, Anne was educated at Benenden School and began to take on royal duties in adulthood. She became a respected rider, winning a gold medal in 1971 and two silver medals in 1975 at the European Events Championships. In 1976, she became the first member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympic Games.

The Princess Royal performs various official tasks and commitments on behalf of the monarch. She has sponsorship from more than 300 organizations, including WISE, Riders for Health, and Carers Trust. Her charitable work revolves around sport, science, people with disabilities and health in developing countries. She has been associated with Save the Children for over fifty years and has visited several of her projects; his work resulted in his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

Anne married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973; they separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992. The couple have two children, Zara and Peter Phillips, and five grandchildren. Months after her divorce, Anne married the commander (now vice admiral) Sir Timothy Laurence, whom she met while he served as her mother’s butler between 1986 and 1989. In 1988, Princess Anne became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Early life and education of Anne, Princess Royal

Anne was born during the reign of her maternal grandfather, King George VI, at Clarence House on 15 August 1950 at 11.50 am, as the second child and only daughter of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A 21-shot salvo in Hyde Park signaled his birth. Anne was baptized in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950 by the Archbishop of York, Cyril Garbett. Her godparents were the Queen (later Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother; her maternal grandmother); Princess Margaret, Hereditary Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (her paternal aunt); Princess Alice of Battenberg (her paternal grandmother); Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (his paternal great-uncle); and Andrew Elphinstone (his first cousin).

At the time of her birth, she was third in line to the British throne, behind her mother – then still a princess – and her older brother, Prince Charles. She climbed to second place after her mother’s rise and is currently in 17th position in the queue.

A governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed to care for Anne and was responsible for her early education at Buckingham Palace; Peebles also served as a governess for Ana’s older brother, Charles. After the death of George VI in February 1952, Anne’s mother ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. Given her young age at the time, Anne did not attend the coronation in June 1953.

Girl Guides, the first Company of Buckingham Palace to include the Holy Trinity Brompton Brownie package, was reformed in May 1959, specifically so that, as her mother and aunt had done as children, Anne could socialize with girls her age. The company was active until 1963 when Anne went to boarding school. Anne enrolled at Benenden School in 1963. In 1968, she left school with six O-levels and two A-levels. She began making royal engagements in 1969 at the age of 18.

In 1970, she had a brief relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles, who later married Camilla Shand. Shand married much later to Ana’s brother, Prince Charles, as his second wife. Anne was also briefly linked to Olympic equestrian rider Richard Meade.

Horse racing

In the spring of 1971, Princess Anne finished fourth in the Rushall Horse Trials. At the age of 21, Anne won the individual title at the European Eventing Championship and was voted the BBC’s “Sports Personality of the Year” in 1971. She also rode winners in horse racing, competing in the Grand Military Steeplechase at Sandown Park Racecourse and Diamond Stakes at Royal Ascot.

For more than five years, she also competed with the British events team, with her home horse, Doublet, suffering an injury during the 1972 Badminton Horse Trials, and winning a silver medal in individual and team disciplines in 1975. The following year, Anne participated in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal as a member of the British team, riding the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in Eventing. Anne suffered a concussion in the middle of the course, but reassembled and finished the event; she stated that she does not remember doing the rest of the jumps. The British team had to give up the competition after two horses were injured. She finished sixth at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1979. In 1985, she participated in a charity horse race at the Epsom Derby, finishing fourth.

Anne assumed the presidency of the International Equestrian Federation from 1986 until 1994. On 5 February 1987, she became the first member of the royal family to appear as a contestant on a television q&A program when she competed in the BBC panel’s a question of sport.

Marriages and children

Marriage of Anne, Princess Royal to Mark Phillips

Anne met Mark Phillips, a lieutenant in the Queen’s 1st Guard, in 1968 at a horse-loving party. Their engagement was announced on May 29, 1973. On 14 November 1973, the couple married at Westminster Abbey in a televised ceremony, with an estimated audience of 100 million. They later resided in Gatcombe Park. As was customary for untitled men to marry members of the royal family, Phillips received a county, which he refused; consequently, their children were born without titles.

Anne and her husband had two children: Peter (born 1977) and Zara Phillips (born 1981). Anne and Phillips have five grandchildren. On August 31, 1989, Anne and Phillips announced their intention to separate; the couple were rarely seen in public together and both were romantically linked to other people. They shared custody of their children and initially announced that “there were no divorce plans”. However, on April 13, 1992, the Palace announced that Anne had filed for divorce, which was finalized ten days later.

Marriage to Timothy Laurence

Anne met Timothy Laurence, a commander of the Royal Navy, while he served on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Their relationship developed in early 1989, three years after he was appointed squire of the Queen.  In 1989, the existence of Laurence’s private letters to the princess was revealed by The Sun. The couple married at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral Castle in Scotland, on 12 December 1992.  Approximately 30 guests were invited to the private wedding ceremony.

Unlike the Church of England at the time, the Church of Scotland considered marriage an ordinance of religion rather than a sacrament and allowed the remarriage of divorced persons under certain circumstances. In 2002, the Church of England agreed that divorced people could remarry in the church under certain circumstances, but the matter is at the discretion of the parish priest. Anne became the first royal divorcee to remarry since Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gota, granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

For the wedding ceremony, Anne donned a white jacket over a “demure knee-high dress” and a bouquet of white flowers in her hair. Her engagement ring was made of “a cabochon sapphire washed up by three small diamonds on each side”. After the wedding ceremony, the couple and guests went to Craigowan Lodge for a private reception. Laurence received no nobility and the couple rented an apartment in London’s Dolphin Square. They reside between an apartment in the Palace of St. James and Gatcombe Park.

Attempted kidnapping

The princess was the target of a failed and dangerous kidnapping attempt on March 20, 1974. The incident occurred when the Princess and her husband Mark Phillips were returning to Buckingham Palace from a charity event in the City of London on Pall Mall. The royal carriage that was driving them was forced to stop when a Ford car pulled up in front of them. The driver of the vehicle, Ian Ball (later deemed mentally unstable) came out holding a gun. Inspector James Beaton jumped out of the carriage to disarm Ball but was shot in the chest and head.

Chauffeur Alex Callender tried to disarm him when Ball approached the carriage to kidnap the princess, but was also shot. Journalist Brian McConnell, who was nearby, tried to help and was shot in the chest. The princess managed, meanwhile, to get out of the carriage and escape to the other side, and Ron Russell struck Ian Ball in the back of the head. Michael Hills, who was also nearby, was shot by Ball. Finally, Officer Peter Edmonds arrested Ian.

Ball was found guilty of attempted kidnapping and murder and found mentally unstable. The sentence was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, one of the three largest maximum security psychiatric hospitals in the UK. Ian Ball planned to ask for £2 or 3 million in exchange for the princess. The incident caused the level of security of the British royal family to increase. Inspector James Beaton received the George Cross (George Cross), the highest award for a UK and Commonwealth civilian. Alex Callender, Brian McConnell, Ron Russell and Michael Hills received the Queen’s Gallantry Medal, the third-tier award for a British civilian.

Official activities and charities of Princess Anne

Anne assumes a series of duties and commitments on behalf of her mother in support of her role as sovereign of the Commonwealth kingdoms. Kevin S. MacLeod, the Queen’s Canadian secretary, said of Anne in 2014: “Her creed is, Keep me busy. I’m here to work. I’m here to do good things. I am here to meet as many people as possible”. It was revealed in December 2017 that the Princess Royal had made the most official commitments of that year of the entire royal family, including her mother. Among her royal visits, the princess traveled through Norway, Jamaica, Germany, Austria, New Zealand and Australia.

His first public engagement was to open an educational and training center in Shropshire in 1969. Anne travels abroad on behalf of the UK up to three times a year. She began to make visits abroad while leaving high school, and accompanied her parents on a state visit to Austria in the same year. Her first trip to Australia was with her parents in 1970, since then she has returned on several occasions to make official appointments as chief colonel of an Australian regiment, or to attend memorials and services such as the National Memorial Service for victims of the Black Saturday bushfires in Melbourne, Australia, on February 22, 2009. In 1990 she was the first member of the royal family to make an official visit to the Soviet Union when she went there as a guest of President Mikhail Gorbachev and his government.

Anne is involved with more than 200 charities and organizations officially. She works extensively for Save the Children, serving as president from 1970 to 2017, and has been a patron for more than 50 years. Anne visited the organization’s projects in Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result of her work, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 by Kenneth Kaunda, President of Zambia. She started The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in 1991.

Anne is the patron of Transaid, a charity founded by Save the Children and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport that aims to provide safe and sustainable transportation in developing countries. She is also the Royal Patron of WISE, an organization that encourages young women to pursue careers in science, engineering and construction. His extensive work for St. Louis John Ambulance as Commander-in-Chief of St. John Ambulance Cadets has helped develop many young people as she attends the Grand Prior Awards annual.

She is St. Andrew. She is a British representative on the International Olympic Committee as an administrator and was a member of the Organizing Committee of the London Olympic Games. She also serves as president of the British Olympic Association. She was president of Bafta from 1973 to 2001. In 1985 she became president of the Disabled Riding Association after serving as patron for fourteen years. In 1986 she was appointed Master of the Worshipful Company of Carmen. She maintains a relationship with student sport and is the patron of the British Universities and Colleges of Sports. She has been the patron of the Royal National Children’s Foundation since 2002 and the industrial heritage museum, Aerospace Bristol, since 2016.

After the queen mother’s retirement in 1981, Anne was elected by graduates of the University of London as Chancellor and has been in office since 1981. Throughout May 1996, Anne served as Her Majesty’s High Commissioner in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and held the post again in 2017. In 2007, she was appointed by the Queen as Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order, a position her grandmother also held. She is a Royal Fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences. Royal Fellows are members of the Monarchy who are recommended and elected by the Society Council. The Royal Society has only four Royal Fellows, including the Princess Royal herself, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Cambridge. She is the first Royal Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

She was elected Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh on March 31, 2011, succeeding her father, who left office in 2010. Similarly, she accepted in 2011 the positions of President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, Master of the Corporation of Trinity House and President of the Royal Society of Arts, also in the succession of her father. She is also patron of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Royal Holloway, University of London, International Students House, London, Acid Survivors Trust International, Townswomen’s Guilds and Citizens Advice.

She represented Great Britain at the International Olympic Committee at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. In August 2016, she returned to the country to visit the Russian city of Arkhangelsk for the 75th anniversary of Operation Dervish, which was one of the first Arctic convoys of World War II. In September 2016, the princess suffered from a chest infection and was forced to cancel official appointments. In late October 2016, she visited the Malaysian state of Sarawak for a two-day study trip. In 2017, she became the First Guardian of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and Governor of Gresham’s School.

Public image and style

Anne was called the “most trusted anchor” of the royal family and a “beacon of good and old-fashioned public service”, having made more than 20,000 engagements since her 18th birthday. The media often called young Anne “rounded” and “arrogant”, giving her the nickname “her real rudeness”. Vanity Fair wrote that Anne “has a reputation for inheriting her father’s famous sharp tongue and wasp wit”. Anne remains one of Britain’s most popular royals.

The Telegraph’s editor Camilla Tominey called it a “national treasure”, writing that she is “hailed as one of the great eccentric Englishwomen”, whose work ethic contributes to her consideration. Allegedly, Anne “insists on doing her own makeup and hair” and addresses commitments, having pleaded guilty to two speeding fines for delay. On her 60s and 70th birthdays, the BBC and Vanity Fair asked if she would retire, and she denied it both times, citing her parents’ example as well as her commitment to her royal duties.

British Vogue editor Edward Enninful said that “Princess Anne is a true style icon and it was all about sustainable fashion before the rest of us really knew what it meant”. Her style is known for its timelessness; she relies almost exclusively on British fashion brands, with tweed and tailored suits as her trademarks. She is known for using “bold patterns and vibrant colors”. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was often photographed wearing trends such as puffy sleeves, cardigans, bright floral patterns, and multicolored stripes.

Anne is also one of the few women in the royal family to wear military uniform.  According to The Guardian, she is “rarely seen without a brooch” during actual events. His headgear styles include jockey caps and hats of various bold colors and patterns. Anne appeared on three covers of British Vogue; after first appearing in the September 1971 issue at the age of 21, she also appeared in the May and November 1973 editions, celebrating her engagement to Mark Phillips. She was featured in the cover story of the April 2020 issue of Vanity Fair.

Titles, styles and honors of Anne, Princess Royal

Titles and styles

• August 15, 1950 – 6 February 1952: Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne of Edinburgh
• February 6, 1952 – November 14, 1973: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne
• November 14, 1973 – April 18, 1992: His Royal Highness, Princess Anne, Mrs. Mark Phillips
• June 13, 1987 – present: Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal

Honors

• 2 June 1953: Coronation Medal of Queen Elizabeth II
• August 15, 1969: Order of the Royal Family of Queen Elizabeth II
• 15 August 1974: Lady Grand Cross and Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) – (Grand Master since April 20, 2007)
• 6 February 1977: Silver Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II
• 1989: Decoration of the Canadian Forces (CD) with three closures (1999, 2009, 2019)
• 1990: Extra Companion of the Queen’s Order of Service (QSO)
• April 23, 1994: Royal Knight of the Noblest Order of the Garter (KG)
• November 30, 2000: Extra Knight of the Oldest and Noblest Order of the Thistle (KT)
• 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
• June 7, 2005: Saskatchewan Centennial Commemorative Medal
• September 29, 2005: Grand Chief Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL)
• 2009: Lady Grand Cross of the Venerable Order of The Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (GCStJ)
  • 1971–2009: Lady of Justice of the Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem (DJStJ)
• 6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
• 6 February 2022: Platinum Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II

Foreigner

Austria

• 1969: Great Gold Honour Decoration with A Band for Services to the Republic of Austria

Finland

• 1969: Grand Cross Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland

Japan

• 1971: Great Cord of the Order of the Precious Crown

Iran

• 1971: Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire

Netherlands

• 1972: Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange

Luxembourg

• 1972: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Oak

Yugoslavia

• 1972: Member 1st Class of the Order of the Yugoslav Flag

Spain

• 2017: Order of Elizabeth the Catholic

Madagascar

• 2017: Grand Cross 2nd Class of the National Order of Madagascar

Chile

• 2021: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit

Military Patents

As with other senior royals, Princess Anne has several engagements in the Commonwealth armed forces:

Australia

• Australia 1977–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals
• Australia 2011–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport

 Canada

• 1972–: Colonel-In-Chief of the 8th Canadian Hussars (of Princess Louise)
• 1977–: Chief Colonel of the Grey and Simcoe Foresters
• 1977–: Chief Colonel of the Communications and Electronics Branch
• 1982–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Regina Rifles
• 1987–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment
• 2003–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Canadian Medical Service
• 2014–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Canadian Hussars
• 2015–: Commodore-In-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy (Pacific Fleet)
• 2017–: Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

 New Zealand

• 1977–: Chief Colonel of the Nursing Corps of the Royal Army of New Zealand
• 1977–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals

United Kingdom

• 1970–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
• 1977–: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Corps of Signals
• 1981–: Commander-in-Chief of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
• 1983–2006: Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)
• 1989–: Honorary Colonel, Royal Colonel, University of London OTC
• 1992–: Chief Colonel of the King’s Royal Hussars
• 1992–: Chief Colonel of the Royal Logistic Corps
• 1993–: Colonel-In-Chief Affiliate of the Queen’s Gurkha Signs
• 1993–: Colonel-in-chief affiliate of the Queen’s Gurkha Logistics Regiment
• 1998–: Colonel of the Blues and Royals
• 2003–: Chief Colonel of the Veterinary Corps of the Royal Army
• 2006–: Royal Colonel of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
• 2006– : Royal Colonel of the 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
• 1977–2011: Honorary Air Comodora of RAF Lyneham
• 1993–: Honorary Air Comodora at the University of London Air Squadron
• 2011–: Honorary Commodore of air at RAF Brize Norton
• 1974–1993: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Women’s Naval Service
• 1993–: Commander-in-Chief of Women in the Royal Navy
• 2006–: Chief Condo of HMNB Portsmouth
• 2021–: Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps
• 1988–: Ms. Sponsor of HMS Talent (S92)
• 2001–: Ms. Sponsor of HMS Albion (L14)

Military ranks

• Royal Navy August 15, 1993: Rear Admiral
• Royal Navy August 15, 2009: Vice Admiral
• Royal Navy August 15, 2012: Admiral
• British Army August 15, 2020: General
• Royal Air Force August 15, 2020: Air Marshal

Offspring

Name	Birth	Wedding		Your children
		Date	Spouse
Peter Phillips	November 15, 1977	May 17, 2008	Autumn Kelly	Savannah Phillips (n. 2010) Isla Phillips (n. 2012)
Zara Tindall	May 15, 1981	July 30, 2011	Mike Tindall	Mia Tindall (no. 2014) Lena Tindall (n. 2018) Lucas Tindall (no. 2021)

References (sources)

«1989: Royal couple to separate», BBC, 1989; Kaufman, Joanne; Cooper, Jonathan (1989), « A Crisis Rocks a Royal Marriage», People; Article Ana, Princess Royal, Wikipedia; «The Princess Royal», royal.uk, 2015; «How Princess Anne became the shining light of the beleaguered monarchy», The Telegraph.