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Anne,_Princess_Royal

Anne,_Princess_Royal

Anne, Princess Royal
The Princess Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British Royal Family and the only daughter of Elizabeth II. She is the seventh holder of the title Princess Royal, and is currently tenth in the Line of succession to the British throne. At the time of her birth, she was third in line, but moved to second place when her mother became Queen, until the birth of her brother, The Prince Andrew, in 1960.

The Princess Royal is known for her charitable work, and is the only member of the British Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games.

Early life

Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was born on 15 August 1950 at Clarence House, London. Her father is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and the former Princess Alice of Battenberg. Her mother is Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, the elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

She was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950 by Cyril Garbett, Archbishop of York. Her godparents were: The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Andrew Elphinstone, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark and The Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Shortly before the birth of her elder brother, Prince Charles, in 1948, their grandfather King George VI issued Letters Patent granting the titular dignity of Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the style Royal Highness to any children born to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Thus, from birth, Princess Anne was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh. Had it not been for these letters patent she would have been known as 'Lady Anne Mountbatten' until her mother became Queen in 1952.

Princess Anne was educated in Buckingham Palace and then at Benenden School, a public boarding school in Kent.

The Princess Anne

On 6 February 1952, when Anne's grandfather, George VI, died, her mother ascended the throne as Elizabeth II. Anne was now styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne. Given her young age, she did not attend her mother's coronation. Princess Anne began to undertake royal and official duties as a teenager in the late 1960s. She has visited many countries and towns.

Interests and activities

Anne has always shown a keen interest in horses, and equine pursuits have been an important part of her life. At the age of 21, she won the individual title at the European Eventing Championship held at Burghley and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1971. Her daughter Zara Phillips would win the same award 35 years later, on 10 December 2006. For over five years she competed with the British eventing team, winning a silver medal in both individual and team disciplines in the 1975 European Eventing Championships held in Germany riding the home-bred Doublet. The following year she participated in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games as a member of the British team, riding the Queen's horse Goodwill. On 5 February 1987, she appeared as a panellist on the 200th edition of the BBC TV panel game A Question of Sport, becoming the first titled British royal to appear as a contestant on a TV quiz show.

In 1981, following the retirement of The Queen Mother, Anne was elected Chancellor of the University of London, following an election by graduates of the university in which she was chosen above Jack Jones and Nelson Mandela.

In 1994, Princess Anne was created a Lady of the Garter by The Queen. She also received special dispensation to use the post-nominal KG, rather than the normal female equivalent of LG.

In May 1996, Princess Anne served as Her Majesty's High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. This role granted her, in Scotland, for the duration, higher precedence just below her parents (above her brothers), and the alternative style of Her Grace Her Majesty's High Commissioner.

First marriage

On 14 November 1973 Princess Anne married Mark Phillips, a Lieutenant and later a Captain in the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards at Westminster Abbey, London. The marriage was televised around the world with an estimated audience of 100 million. The couple has two children, both of whom, like their mother, were born on the 15th day of a month:

As is customary, the Queen is believed to have offered Capt. Phillips an earldom on his wedding day, which he turned down. This may also have been the specific wish of Princess Anne, who wanted to shield future children from the publicity that courtesy titles might bring. They thus became the first grandchildren of a sovereign to carry no title. However, they are not the first children of a British princess to carry no title. The children of Princess Alexandra, the Queen's cousin, who were born in the 1960s, are also untitled.

After their wedding, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips lived at Gatcombe Park, in Gloucestershire.

Kidnapping attempt

Princess Anne was the target of a failed kidnapping attempt on 20 March 1974. It remains the closest in modern times any individual has come to kidnapping a member of the British Royal Family.

The incident occurred as Princess Anne and Mark Phillips were returning to Buckingham Palace from a London charity event on Pall Mall. Their Austin Princess Limousine was forced to stop by a Ford Escort. The driver of the Escort, Ian Ball (later judged to be mentally unstable) jumped from his car, firing a gun. Inspector James Beaton, the Princess's personal police officer, responded by jumping out to shield the Princess as he tried to disarm Ball. However, Beaton's firearm jammed, and he was also shot in the head and chest by the assailant. The car's chauffeur, Alex Callender was also shot as he tried to disarm Mr. Ball. Journalist Brian McConnell, who was passing by, also tried to intervene and was shot once in the chest. As Ball told the Princess of his kidnapping plan and asked her to get out of the car, she replied "Not bloody likely!", and she briefly considered hitting Ball. Eventually, the Princess dived out of the car on the other side. A second passer-by, Ron Russell, punched Ball in the back of the head and led Anne from the scene. PC Michael Hills stumbled upon the scene, but he was shot by Ball. However, Hills managed to call for backup. A nearby police officer, DC Peter Edmonds gave chase, and he finally arrested Ball. In total, Mr. Ball had fired eleven times, hitting Beaton, Callender, McConnell, and a man passing by in a taxi. The people he shot were hospitalised, but they all recovered from their wounds.

Ball later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, and he was detained under the Mental Health Act. He was sent to the Broadmoor Hospital, where he remains. Ball planned to ransom the Princess for a sum given in various sources as £2 million or £3 million to the NHS. The incident prompted higher security levels for the Royal Family. Police officer Beaton was awarded the George Cross for his defence of the Princess Royal. Alex Callender, Brian McConnell, Ron Russell, PC Michael Hills, and DC Peter Edmonds were awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal.

In 2006 Granada Television produced a docu-drama entitled "To Kidnap a Princess" directed by John Alexander which related this incident.

The would-be kidnapper has placed bizarre advertisements directing readers to his Web site, which offers £1 million to anyone who can prove his theory that the whole incident in fact took place a year later, and formed part of a long-standing and elaborate persecution of Ball by a policeman.

Princess Royal

On 13 June 1987, the Queen bestowed the title of Princess Royal on Princess Anne, the seventh creation of this title. Anne was now to be styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. The title is only given to the eldest daughter of the sovereign, the last holder being George V's daughter, Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood.

In 2007, the Princess Royal had the honour of being installed by The Queen as Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order, succeeding her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

Divorce and remarriage

In August, 1989, the Princess Royal and Mark Phillips announced their intention to separate. The marriage had been under strain for many years. The couple divorced on 23 April 1992. On 12 December 1992, Anne remarried the first royal divorcée since Victoria of Edinburgh to do so. She chose to remarry in the Church of Scotland since the Church of England forbade divorced persons from remarrying in their churches.

She married Timothy Laurence in Crathie Kirk near the Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire. At the time of their marriage, he was a Royal Navy commander, and has since risen to the rank of Vice-Admiral. They have had no children together.

Charity work

The Princess Royal carries out the most engagements of any member of the Royal Family. This current popularity is in contrast to her previous reputation when she earned the nickname Princess Sourpuss.

The Princess Royal is involved with over 200 charities and organisations in an official capacity. The Princess Royal works extensively for the charity Save the Children of which she has been president since 1970. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers was created on her initiative in 1991 - her work for the charity takes her all over the world, including many poverty stricken African nations. Also her extensive work for St. John Ambulance as Commandant-in-Chief of St. John Ambulance Cadets has helped to develop many young people as she annually attends the Grand Prior Award Reception. She is also a British representative in the International Olympic Committee as an administrator, and is a member of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

Since 1981, she has served as the chancellor of the University of London. She has been patron of the British School of Osteopathy since 1984.

The Princess Royal is also patron of the Scottish Rugby Union and attends most international games at Murrayfield. She is patron of the Wooden Spoon Society, the Charity of British and Irish rugby and of UK Youth, which supports over 750,000 young people across the UK.

Convictions

In 2001, the Princess Royal faced criminal court charges. She pleaded guilty to driving at 93 mph on a dual carriageway on her way to Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. She was fined £400 by Cheltenham Magistrates' Court and had five points added to her driving licence.

In 2002, the Princess Royal was convicted of a second offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. She pleaded guilty to the charge that her dog, Dotty, attacked two boys while she and her husband were taking her for a walk in Windsor Great Park. The Princess Royal was fined £500 by Berkshire Magistrates' Court and ordered to give Dotty more training.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

  • 15 August 1950 – 6 February 1952: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh
  • 6 February 1952 – 14 November 1973: Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne
  • 14 November 1973 – 13 June 1987: Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne, Mrs Mark Phillips
  • 13 June 1987 –: Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal

    • in Scotland: May 1996: Her Grace Her Majesty's High Commissioner

Honours

The first date listed indicates the date of appointment, and the second, when the appointment became void (usually because of appointment to a higher grade).

Foreign Honours

  • Decoration for Honour of Merit, in Gold with Sash, 1969
  • Commander Grand Cross, Order of the White Rose of Finland, 1969
  • Grand Cordon, The Order of the Precious Crown, 1971
  • Grand Cross, Order of the House of Orange, 1972
  • Order of the Yugoslav Flag, 1st Class, 1972

Honorary military appointments

Like other senior royals, The Princess Royal holds a number of honorary appointments in the armed forces of several Commonwealth realms. In 2002, she made history when she wore a Royal Navy uniform at the funeral of her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She was the first non-reigning woman, who was also royal, to wear military uniform at a funeral.

She is of the following regiments, corps, and branches:

Arms

Ancestry

References

External links

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Last updated on Friday October 10, 2008 at 16:03:41 PDT (GMT -0700)
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