Full Name: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
Father: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother: Queen Elizabeth II
Relation to Elizabeth II: Daughter
Born: August 15, 1950 at Clarence House, London
Current Age: 62 years, 2 months and 4 days
Married (1): Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973 at Westminster Abbey
Divorced: April 28, 1992
Children: Peter Phillips, Zara Phillips
Married (2): Timothy Laurence on December 12, 1992 at Crathie, Ballater, Aberdeenshire
Princess Anne was born on 15 August 1950 at Clarence House in London. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. She was baptised at Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950 by the Archbishop of York. She is styled Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh. As a child she was more bossy and vivacious than her older brother Charles.
Princess Anne was educated privately at Buckingham Palace, and then at Benenden boarding School in Kent. She attained two A levels but was happiest in her love of the outdoors and horse riding. On leaving Benenden in 1968 she entered public life, and at 20 became president of Save the Children Fund on whose behalf she has worked tirelessly and visited over 70 counties. She is also Commandant-in-Chief of St John Ambulance, founded the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and is an official with over 200 charities. On 13 June 1987, the Queen bestowed her with the title of Princess Royal the title traditionally given to the monarch's eldest daughter. She carries out the most engagements of any member of the Royal Family, and holds a number of honorary appointments with the British Armed Forces and of several Commonwealth countries.
Her boyfriends included Andrew Parker Bowles (later husband of Camilla), and Richard Mead Olympic Champion at three-day eventing. On 14 November 1973 Princess Anne married Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey, London. He was a Lieutenant and later Captain in the Queen’s Dragoon Guards. He was offered but turned down an Earldom so their children have no courtesy titles. Their son Peter Phillips was born in 1977 and daughter Zara in 1981. In 1974 she was the target of a kidnap attempt in Pall Mall London when a deranged individual tried to bundle her into a car and hold her for ransom. In 1989 the Princess and Mark Phillips announced their intention to separate and they were divorced on 28 April 1992. She remarried Timothy Laurence, a naval Commander, on 12 December 1992 at Crathie Kirk a Church of Scotland church near the Balmoral Estate.
She has always been keen on horses and equitation events. In 1971 she won the individual title at the European Championship three-day event, and was voted the BBC’s Sports Personality of the year. She won a silver medal in the individual and team events at the 1975 European Eventing Championship, and in 1976 participated with the British Team in the Montreal Olympic Games. She is a British representative in the International Olympic Committee, and a member of the London organising committee for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Princess Anne's Signature
The Princess Royal
mother’s accession.
The Princess began her education in a traditionally royal way -in a small private class held at Buckingham Palace. At the age of thirteen, Princess Anne went on to Benenden, a boarding school in
Kent.
The Queen, well-known for her knowledge of horses and breeding, passed the talent for this hobby on to her daughter at a young age. Anne grew up to be a keen horsewoman and even competed in the equestrian event in the 1972 Montreal Olympics, representing Britain.
At age twenty-three, The Princess Royal met Captain Mark Phillips of The Queen’s Dragoon Guards. They were engaged on May 29th, 1973, and married in November of that year in Westminster Abbey. A few months after their marriage, an attempt was made to kidnap The Princess, as she and her new husband were driving back to Buckingham Palace after a charity event.
Anne was able to successfully hold the kidnapper at bay until he was subdued. She and her husband held the door of her car shut, hoping that the man would give up. Not so easily…..
“What good will this do?” Anne shouted to the kidnapper, as he tried to yank her door open. “Go away!”
“That girl’s got steel britches,” said one local shop owner when told of the incident. The Princess and her husband were unhurt, but her personal protection officer was shot and wounded during the incident. He was later awarded the George Cross for his bravery.
A few months after everything settled down, Princess Anne became pregnant with her first child, Peter Mark Andrew Phillips, born November 15th, 1977. The Princess’s second child, Zara Anne Elizabeth, was born May 15th, 1981.
Unfortunately, the princess’ marriage was dissolved in April 1992. In December of the same year Anne married Commander Timothy Laurence, Royal Navy (now Commodore Laurence), at a private ceremony at Crathie Church, near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Always a dedicated supporter of charities and a tireless worker on behalf of children, she received the title Princess Royal from The Queen in June 1987. Her best known work is for the “Save
The Children” organization. Anne went to all sorts of
third-world countries, which astounded many in the palace, but she
didn’t worry a bit about contracting diseases; she merely got the
shots required and marched right into the most desolate and poor
areas of the world.
The Details
Full Name: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
Date of Birth: August 15th, 1950
Education: Benenden School
Residence: Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire