Princess Anne is a member of the British royal family and the only offspring of the long-reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. At the time of her birth in 1950, Anne was third in line to the British throne, but her position has since been greatly reduced as the succession continues as the royal family expands. Officially, she bears the title “Her Royal Highness Princess Royal”, a title she has held since 1987.
As expected, Princess Anne undertakes several official duties and engagements on behalf of her mother, the Queen. However, there is so much more to this princess beyond the fact that she is blue blooded. Anne is a multi-award winning equestrian and also a former Olympian who competed in the 1976 Summer Games. She is also well known for her charitable contributions as a matron to over 200 organisations.
She was born into the Royal Household on August 15, 1950, and christened Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise. She is the second of four children born to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. For her early years of education, Anne was homeschooled by a governess, Catherine Peebles. In 1963, she enrolled in secondary school at Benenden School, a boarding school for girls, and graduated in 1968.
Family, husband and children
Princess Anne has been married for over 2decades to Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. They met in 1986 while Laurence served as Équerry to Queen Elizabeth II and they bonded on December 12, 1992. They attended a private ceremony held at Crathie Kirk, a small parish in the church Scottish, near Balmoral Castle a vacation home of British royals. The couple chose to marry in Scotland, the Church of England at the time not allowing the remarriage of divorced people.
Prior to her current union, Princess Anne had been married for 19 years to Captain Mark Philps, they had 2 children together, a son and a daughter. She welcomed her son Peter Mark Andrew Phillips on November 15, 1977. Her daughter Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall (née Phillips) was born on May 15, 1981.
Peter Philips is a consultant in the field of sports sponsorship and management. For her part, Zara Tindall is also an award-winning rider, just like her mother. She was named the BBC’s 2016 Sports Personality of the Year and won a silver medal in the equestrian events at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
5 interesting facts to know about Princess Anne
Princess Anne’s first boyfriend
It is on the record that Princess Anne’s first boyfriend was Andrew Parker Bowles. For those tuned into the intricacies of the British royal family, Mr Bowles is the former husband of Camilla Parker Bowles, who eventually became the wife of Anne’s brother Charles, Prince of Wales.
His love for horse riding
Princess Anne is well known for her brilliant equestrian skills. She competed in several equestrian events during her heyday and won numerous titles. She won her first title, a gold medal at the 1971 European Eventing Championships. She also won two silver medals at the 1975 edition of the championships.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
Princess Anne received this coveted honor at age 21 in 1971, due to her achievements in horse riding. In doing so, she became the first royal to win the award and the feat was followed by her own daughter 35 years later.
Princess Anne is a former Olympian
Interestingly, Anne competed in the 1976 Olympics. The Montreal Games made history once again by becoming the first member of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympics. Although she did not win any medals during her appearance at the Olympics, she set the precedent for other British royals.
An infamous kidnapping attempt
On March 20, 1974, a man named Ian Ball attempted to kidnap Princess Anne on her way back to Buckingham Palace after a charity night. The Princess’ personal protection officer and her driver were injured in the incident. A nearby tabloid reporter and a police officer were also injured when they tried to intervene.
The princess was finally able to escape when a former boxer Ron Russell, who found himself in this situation, punched the assailant in the back of the head. All those injured in the incident have fully recovered after periods of hospitalization. Attacker Ian Ball was arrested under the Mental Health Act after pleading guilty to the crime. The 2006 television series Kidnapping a Princess was based on this incident.