Anne, Princess Royal - Wikipedia
As we observed Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, at Prince Philip’s funeral, the only woman to ever be included in a royal funeral procession, we saw a powerful woman. Dressed in an outfit reminiscent of the suffragettes, with military medals pinned to her chest, she was outstanding. It might have taken 70 years for her to gain that spotlight but that did not happen by chance. Her history of dedication and service brought her to that moment.
But who is Princess Anne? Why do we know so little about her? This 70-year-old royal, second born and only daughter to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, 16th in line to the throne, is an enigma. We know of her extensive involvement in service to the queen and to the country, her passion for horses and dogs and her disregard for fuss, but not much more.
So much has been seen and heard about Harry and Meghan, William and Catherine, Charles and Camilla, Diana, Andrew and Fergie, Philip, Edward VIII and Wally, Edward VII, Queen Victoria and Mr. Brown. We have been bombarded with news and scandals, the good the bad and the ugly. Why have we heard so little about Princess Anne? Has she been a model royal?
Surely there are some skeletons in her closet! A little bit of sleuthing has revealed a treasure trove of juicy history. But there has been little public fuss about the details of her marriages and divorce, her first husband’s love child, her affair with her bodyguard, her second marriage to a palace employee, her badly behaved dogs resulting in a criminal record, her disregard for royal protocol, and her total dismissal of the press. We might expect a slew of tell-all books, wild-eyed gutter newspaper accounts, salacious videos, intense TV interviews, but no there is little.
There are a few books covering Anne’s life, but not the scandals. The only book in the last decade is Anne: The Private Princess Revealed, by Brian Hoey, published in 2013. This book covers much history going back decades, but the author very kindly covers the sensitive events. Of course, the press has reported on incidents in Anne’s life, but there is little of the hysterical coverage we might expect. Maybe her blatant disrespect for the press and her failure to react have made her uninteresting to the tabloids.
But let’s get back to who she is. In 1953, when Anne was 3, her mother unexpectedly became Queen Elizabeth II, following the early death of her father, George VI. Being female, Anne was demoted from second in line in succession to the throne to fourth place, after the birth of her two younger brothers, Andrew and Edward. Given the family of her birth, the era of her childhood and young adulthood, being the only girl in the family may have contributed to the strong woman she has become.
But being the first woman to ever walk in a royal funeral procession was not the only first for the Princess Royal. Anne was the first royal to receive her education at a private school outside the palace. She was also the first royal to compete in the Olympics and she won gold and silver medals in the
prestigious European Eventing Championships equestrian events. She chose to raise her children as normally as possible and did not give them royal titles. Anne’s history reveals that she was the first royal to remarry after divorce since Henry VIII. The events leading up to that second marriage reveal some salacious details about Anne.
After a fling in New Zealand by her first husband, Mark Phillips and the resulting love child, Anne’s life took a turn. Anne was known to have had affairs of her own, including one with her bodyguard. The palace handled this affair discretely. The press got wind of it, no big deal. Eventually, her first marriage was dissolved in 1991. Soon thereafter Anne remarried. Her new beau was also part of the palace staff, the Equerry to the queen, Tim Laurence. They carefully planned their wedding, an intimate family ceremony in the Church of Scotland, avoiding a massive problem with the Church of England’s rules. She very deftly sidestepped drama, did what she wanted, but bent the rules stealthily.
The life choices Princess Anne has made which have been wholeheartedly devoted to service, have also proved her to be a workhorse, a quiet rule breaker, an independent and powerful leader. The Princess Royal is adroit at living the life she chooses, while managing the challenges of being royalty. And a favorite moment for me that exposes her attitude to crisis is portrayed in her rumored response to her 1974 attempted kidnapping, when she was told to get out of the car she said, ‘Not bloody likely’. I believe this answers the question of who Princess Anne really is.
There is much more to know, but this venue allows only a teaser. A good starting point for more information on Princess Anne can be found in these links:
Princess Anne Turns 70: Best Photos Of Her Very Private Royal Life And Style (forbes.com)
Or, if you have an hour to spare, this video might interest you:
Princess Anne: The Daughter Who Should Be Queen | 2020 Documentary - Bing video
Sandra Sokol is retired after working 25 years as an administrator at the Fox School, Temple University. A long-time Center City resident, along with her husband, she raised her family here. They spend their summers on the beautiful island of Newfoundland, Canada (usually). Sandra enjoys contributing as an administrative volunteer at Penn’s Village.