She had a romance with the ex-husband of Queen Camilla, love letters were stolen from her bag, she participated in the Montreal Olympics, and when a stranger tried to pull her from a car to kidnap her, she told him “that is unlikely to happen.”
In recent years, Princess Anne has kept a royal and respectful profile, but she is a princess with a particularly stormy and exciting past.
Princess Anne is the second child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who had four children.
Some are more talked about, like King Charles, because he is king, and Prince Andrew due to serious sexual allegations, while others are less talked about, such as Prince Edward and Princess Anne, who is actually the reason we are here.
Research worldwide has noted that the second child in a family often turns out the most successful, and in Anne’s case, this is certainly true.
Although royal scandals did not spare the 74-year-old princess, unlike her siblings (and nieces and nephews) she always managed to emerge with class, and although she is sometimes a bit behind the scenes, we decided to delve into the life of the most interesting princess in the British royal family.
Princess Anne was born in August 1950 to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and is the seventh princess holding the title “Royal Princess.” She is 18th in line to the throne.
She was educated and raised in Buckingham Palace and later attended a public school in Kent.
From a young age, she actively participated in royal duties.
Her grandmother, the Queen Mother, retired from all duties in 1981 and was then appointed responsible for teaching and research at the University of London.
She received the title “Royal Princess” in 1987, becoming the seventh princess to hold this royal title. In 2020, research conducted by Independent Giving Evidence found that Princess Anne leads the list of royal family members actively participating in her patronages, with 73 visits that year.
She oversees over 300 organizations under her patronage.
Compared to her elder brother and her nephew Prince William, heir to the throne, Anne’s bank account is significantly modest.
According to data published in the Daily Mail in January, the royal princess’s current account totals 50 million pounds, while her elder brother enjoys 900 million pounds and William’s account shows 1.5 billion pounds.
The first British princess to participate in the Olympics
Like her late mother, Princess Anne has a great love for horses, and in 1976, at age 26, she became the first British royal selected to compete in the Montreal Olympic Games.
As part of her love for the Olympics and horses, she was appointed in 1988 as a member of the International Olympic Committee and served as an IF representative for the eligibility committee from 1990 to 1994.
She was also Chair of the Subscriptions Committee from 2014 to 2015 and a representative on the IOC member selection committee from 2015 to the present.
In 2012, Anne proposed hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, in which her daughter Zara Phillips participated.
Team Great Britain won a silver medal, and Princess Anne presented the medals to the team, including her daughter.
Falling and rising
Princess Anne’s love for horses is well known, but alongside it, there has always been fear, which sometimes became painful reality.
In June, Princess Anne was injured by one of her horses, resulting in hospitalization with minor injuries and a concussion. “I often feel pure terror when I ride,” she said in an interview in the early seventies. “I do it all the time and still fear losing control.
Luckily, it doesn’t happen too often.”
In December 1964, after struggling with the reins while riding at school, Anne cracked a finger bone. In 1973, she had to withdraw from the European Championships after falling directly on her face from a horse.
Two years later, she was thrown into the Avon River when her horse failed a jump, and in October 1975, she fell again after colliding with another horse ridden by her former husband, Captain Mark Phillips.
In April 1976, Anne’s horse fell on her, causing concussion, bruises, and a cracked vertebra, but doctors confirmed the crack was not serious enough to prevent her from competing in the Montreal Olympics that summer.
About that fall, she said: “It went very well, everything was fine, and that’s it.
I don’t remember anything that happened after.”
In the early 1980s, Anne fell again into the water during a ride with her horse Stevie B.
Another incident during a horse race almost killed her, but she survived.
In 2008, Anne was kicked by one of her horses and needed a walking stick.
Romances, affairs, and two husbands
Princess Anne, known as “Royal Princess,” was also called “the rebellious princess” in her youth.
She faced many lectures about her wild behavior, appeared in scandals, and was photographed kissing, which became tabloid headlines.
Her first known romance was with Andrew Parker-Bowles, the ex-husband of Queen Camilla.
Their relationship began in 1970, three years before he married Camilla, but it was never serious. Andrew and Anne are still considered very good friends today.
Before dating Andrew, Anne met Captain Mark Phillips in Mexico City.
They bonded over their love for horses, started dating, and five years later, Phillips proposed.
Their royal wedding took place at Westminster Abbey before 1,500 guests.
Their son Peter Phillips was born in 1977, and daughter Zara in 1981.
Anne chose not to give her children royal titles to allow them a normal life.
After Zara’s birth, Anne and Mark’s relationship began to deteriorate.
In 1985, Phillips fathered a child from an affair with an art teacher from New Zealand, Heather Tonkin. Anne had her own scandal with Sergeant Peter Cross, who was married, and their affair caused Cross to be reassigned.
Her second romance was with Captain Timothy Laurence, who later became her second husband. Their relationship began in 1989 after separating from Mark.
Love letters from Laurence were stolen from Anne’s bag and published in the press.
Anne and Mark divorced in 1992, and a few months later, Anne married Sir Tim in Scotland.
Failed kidnapping attempt
In July 1982, Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace, entering the Queen’s bedroom, but she remained calm.
In 1976, Princess Anne, aged 23, faced an attempted kidnapping.
A stranger tried to pull her from the car, fired at her driver and security officer, and at a journalist who tried to help.
Anne calmly told the attacker, “That is unlikely to happen.” The attacker was stopped by a passerby.
Recent years
In recent years, Princess Anne has led a quieter life.
Since January 2024, when King Charles was diagnosed with cancer, Anne stepped into royal duties and alongside Prince William supports the monarchy.