Anne, Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal, born on August 15, 1950, is the second child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. As a prominent member of the British royal family, she is involved with over three hundred charities, notably serving as president of Save the Children UK since 1970. An accomplished equestrian, Princess Anne made history as the first royal to compete in the Olympics, participating in the 1976 Games with her horse, Goodwill. She was awarded numerous accolades in competitive equestrian events, including a gold medal at the 1971 European Three-Day-Event Championships. Beyond her sporting achievements, she holds several ceremonial titles and has been recognized for her extensive public service, attending a notable 457 royal engagements in 2023, establishing herself as a highly respected figure within the royal family. Anne married twice, first to Mark Phillips, with whom she has two children, and later to Timothy Laurence. She resides at Gatcombe Park, a working farm where she breeds horses and livestock.
Anne, Princess Royal
Royal
- Born: August 15, 1950
- Place of Birth: London, England
Significance: A member of the British royal family, Anne is involved in more than three hundred charities and organizations. Among them is Save the Children, which she has been president of since 1970. A former competitive equestrian, she was the first member of the royal family to compete in the Olympics.
Background
Anne, Princess Royal was given the name Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise and the title of princess upon her August 15, 1950, birth in Clarence House in London, England. The second child of Princess Elizabeth (who became Queen two years after Anne’s birth) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, she grew up in Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. She was cared for by nannies as her parents often traveled and were busy with royal duties.
Princess Anne received her early education at home before becoming a boarder at Benenden School in Kent in 1963. Keenly interested in horses since she was young, she took lessons in horsemanship while at Benenden. In her late teens, she began hunting to prepare for competitive equestrian events.
On June 13, 1987, Queen Elizabeth II gave Anne the title of Princess Royal. It is a title traditionally given to the eldest daughter of the monarch. In 2007, the queen bestowed on Princess Anne the title of Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order. Anne holds numerous ceremonial titles, including Chief Commandant of Women in the Royal Navy, Colonel-in-Chief of the King’s Royal Hussars, and Royal Honorary Colonel of the University of London OTC.
Royal Career
Princess Anne began her royal career of public service and representing the Queen at events around the world when she was eighteen. In 1969, she opened an educational and training center in Shropshire. Later that year, she participated in her first state visit. In 1970, Princess Anne became president of Save the Children UK, a global charity that gives children resources to foster their development. For more than five decades, she has remained heavily involved in the charity’s work and has traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and other countries to understand the needs of children in these countries.
In 1971, Princess Anne became a patron of Riding for the Disabled, a charity that provides carriage driving and riding, therapy, and other opportunities to children and adults with disabilities. She has been the president of the organization since 1985.
While Save the Children UK and Riding for the Disabled are the two major charities she is most known for, Anne is involved with more than three hundred other charities, military regiments, and organizations. She has founded several charities, including Riders for Health and Transaid, which address transportation challenges in developing countries, and Carers Trust. She also is a patron of World Horse Welfare, the Horse Trust, and several other horse-related organizations, as well as Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and Wetwheels Foundation.
In 2022, Princess Anne was named the hardest-working royal, attending 214 royal engagements, compared to the Prince of Wales, who attended 126, and the Princess of Wales who attended 90. These visits included her tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, which celebrated the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Princess Anne's commitment to charity continued in 2023, as she was involved in over three hundred charities. Following her mother's death in 2022, she became the first woman to participate in the traditional practice, Vigil of the Princes, in which she stood guard over the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, her mother.
Competitive Horsemanship
Princess Anne pursued her passion for horses by competing in equestrian events and participating in charity work that involves horses. Unlike other competitors, she was unable to train exclusively for competitions and had to intersperse her training with her royal duties. She participated in several three-day event competitions, winning the gold medal in the individual event at the 1971 European Three-Day-Event Championships. Later that year, she was elected the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. Four years later, she won silver medals in the individual and team events at the 1975 European Three-Day-Event Championships. In 1976, she became the first royal member to compete in the Olympics when she participated as a member of the British Equestrian Team. She rode her mother’s horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event.
Since she stopped competing, Princess Anne has been heavily involved in equestrian sporting events. From 1986 to 1994, she was the president of the Fédération Équestre Internationale. She has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1988, and as of March 2023, she continued to serve as the president of the British Olympic Association, which began in 1991.
Impact
It is unlikely that Princess Anne will succeed her mother on the throne. Although the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013 replaced a 1701 act that gave males priority over females, it does not apply to anyone born before 2011. Thus, Princess Anne follows her brother and their children and grandchildren, placing her at least fifteenth in line to succeed Queen Elizabeth II.
Once regarded by the public as standoffish and remote, Princess Anne has become a highly respected royal known for conducting a heavy workload. In the late 2010s, she was recognized as the hardest-working royal for attending more official appearances than any other royal, a title she maintained into 2023, when she appeared at 457 royal engagements, averaging eight per week. In 2024, she was forced to take a break after suffering a concussion at her Gatcombe Park home in Gloucestershire. Details of the injury are uncertain as Princess Anne was unable to recall what happened. However, she was out walking with horses nearby, and doctors who treated her at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England, for several days beginning June 24, 2024, said her injuries were consistent with a possible impact from a horse head or leg. The Princess Royal recovered at home and returned to her official duties in mid July.
Personal Life
Princess Anne and Mark Anthony Phillip married at Westminster Abbey on November 14, 1973. They had two children, Peter and Zara. The couple separated in 1989 and divorced in April 1992. Princess Anne and Timothy James Laurence married on December 12, 1992. They live at Gatcombe Park, given to Princess Anne by Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present for her first marriage. It is a working farm where Princess Anne breeds horses and raises long-horned cattle, pigs, and sheep.
Bibliography
Harcombe, Chloe and Hollie Cole. "Princess Anne returns to public duties after head injury." BBC, 12 July 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80e1kr34glo. Accesseed 12 Oct. 2024.
Henni, Janine. "This Year's Hardest Working Royal Comes as No Surprise — See Who Took the Crown." People, 12 Dec. 2023, people.com/princess-anne-named-hardest-working-royal-2023-8415038. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
Murphy, Victoria. “How Did Princess Anne Become a Royal Fan Favourite—Behind the Scenes of the Princess Royal.” Independent, 21 Mar. 2021, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/princess-anne-royal-family-the-crown-b1804069.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
Nicholl, Katie. “Princess Anne Opens Up About Her Lifetime as a Royal.” Vanity Fair, 15 Apr. 2020, www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/04/princess-anne-opens-up-about-her-lifetime-as-a-royal. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
“The Princess Royal.” The Royal Family, United Kingdom, www.royal.uk/the-princess-royal. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
Rieden, Juliet. “Royal Exclusive: ‘I’ve Never Been a City Girl’—Princess Anne Talks About Life Away from the Royal Beat.” The Australian Women’s Weekly, 15 July 2020, www.nowtolove.com.au/royals/british-royal-family/princess-anne-70th-birthday-64581. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
Tominey, Camilla. “How Princess Anne Became the Shining Light of the Beleaguered Monarchy.” Daily Telegraph, 31 July 2020, www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/07/31/princess-anne-became-shining-light-beleaguered-monarchy/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.