Princess Anne - Miscellaneous, Life Achievements and Childhood

Princess Anne was born at Clarence House, Buckingham Palace, England, to the then Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She was their second child and only daughter.

George V authorized that the titles of British prince or princess would only be used for children and male-line grandchildren of the sovereign. But the new rules issued by George VI honored children of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip with such titles.

She was raised by the royal governess, Catherine Peebles, who used to look after the Princess and provided her with the early education at Buckingham Palace. Catherine was also Princess’ Brother, Prince Charles’ governess.

When Princess’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took over the throne after George VI’s death, she was titled as Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne. She did not attend her mother’s coronation because she was very young at the time.

A Girl Guides company, The 1st Buckingham Palace Company including the Holy Trinity Brompton Brownie pack was reformed so that, Princess could mingle with other girls of her age.

Until 1963, Princess remained under private tutelage until she was enrolled at Benenden School. She cleared her schooling in six years with 6 GCE-O-Levels and 2 A-Levels.

Princess attended her first royal public appointment at 18, right after leaving school. In 1969, she inaugurated an educational and training centre in Shropshire and made her first state royal trip when she travelled with her parents to Austria.

During 1975 European championships, Princess took part in the British 3-day eventing team and won silver medals for her individual performance as well as for the team. She is considered to be an exceptional horsewoman.

She is known for attending the funerals of foreign dignitaries on behalf of her mother as Queen does not attend them due to customary reasons. She also makes foreign trips on behalf of the United Kingdom.

Since 1970s, she has been the president of ‘Save the Children’ and also initiated ‘The Princess Royal Trust for Carers’ in the nineties. Her charity work takes her all over the world, including the disadvantaged areas of Africa.

In 1981, after the retirement of the Queen, Princess was elected by graduates of the London University as their institution’s Chancellor. She has also served as her Majesty’s High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

In 1990, she became the first member of the Royal Family to make an official visit to the Soviet Union as guest of government. Also, she has showed up on many occasions there as a colonel-in-chief of an Australian regiment.

She has worked as Commandant-in-chief of St. John Ambulance Cadets for St. John Ambulance, helping young people in shaping their future.

She is also a British representative in the International Olympic Committee, and was a member of the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

She is a Royal Fellow of the Royal Society - currently there are only five Royal Fellows, including The Princess Royal herself, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Kent, and The Duke of Cambridge.

Princess became the Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh in 2011. In the same year, she also accepted roles like— President of City and Guilds of London Institute, Master of the Corporation of Trinity House, etc.

She has held many titles over the years—‘Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh (1950-52)’, ‘Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne (1952-73)’, ‘Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne, Mrs Mark Philips (1973-87)’ and ‘Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal (1987-present).

She has been honored with: Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, Grand Cross of the Order of the House of Orange, Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, etc.

Other honors include: Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, University of the Highlands and Islands, Chancellor, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Doctor of Laws, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps, etc.

Princess got married to Mark Philips, a lieutenant in the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, in 1973. They lived together at Gatcombe Park after getting married but in 1989 they declared their intention to get separated and in 1992 got divorced.

The couple has two children together: Peter Philips and Zara Philips. Both the children do not carry any title. Princess got married for the second time to a commander in Royal Navy, Timothy Lawrence in 1992.

The couple got married in Scotland as the Church of England does not allow divorced people to get married. The couple lived in a flat in Dolphin Square, London, for a while and now resides in country side.

A kidnapping attempt was once made on Princess Anne and Mark Philips in 1974, while they were on their way to Buckingham Palace. The accused, Ian Ball, was prosecuted and detained under the Mental Health Act. He apparently wanted to hold them for a ransom of two million pounds and later give all the money to the NHS.

She faced court charges in 2001, when she pleaded guilty for driving over speed limit. She was fined four hundred pounds.

She took part in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal as a member of the British team, riding the Queen's horse, ‘Goodwill’.