Anne, Princess Royal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Princess Anne" redirects here. For other princesses called Anne, and other meanings of this name, see Princess Anne (disambiguation).
Anne
Princess Royal
Spouse Mark Phillips (m. 1973, div. 1992)
Timothy Laurence (m. 1992)
Issue
Peter Phillips
Zara Phillips
Full name
Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise[1]
Titles and styles
HRH The Princess Royal
HRH The Princess Anne
HRH Princess Anne of Edinburgh
Royal house House of Windsor
Father Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Mother Elizabeth II
Born 15 August 1950 (1950-08-15) (age 57)
Clarence House, London
Baptised 21 October 1950
Buckingham Palace, London

The Princess Anne, Princess Royal KG LT (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.

Contents

[edit] 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 eldest 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 Princess Gottfried 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.

[edit] The Princess Anne

Medal record
Equestrian
European Championships
Gold 1971 Burghley Individual eventing
Silver 1975 Luhmuhlen Team eventing
Silver 1975 Luhmuhlen Individual eventing

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.

British Royal Family

HM The Queen
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
v • d • e

[edit] 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's 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 panelist 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.

[edit] First marriage

On 14 November 1973 Princess Anne married Mark Phillips, a Lieutenant and later 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 Mark 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 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.

The Princess Royal visits the USNS Comfort on 11 July 2002 while the ship was docked in Southampton, England
The Princess Royal visits the USNS Comfort on 11 July 2002 while the ship was docked in Southampton, England

[edit] Kidnap attempt

Princess Anne was the target of a failed kidnap 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.[2] 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, his gun jammed and he was shot in the head and chest. The chauffeur, Alex Callender[3] was also shot as he tried to disarm 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 briefly considered hitting Ball.[4] Eventually, the Princess dove 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 away from the scene. PC Michael Hills discovered the scene, but was shot by Ball. However, he managed to call for backup. A nearby police officer, DC Peter Edmonds gave chase and finally arrested Ball.[5]

Ball later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and attempted kidnap and was detained under the Mental Health Act. He was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, where he remains. Ball planned to ransom the Princess for a sum given in various sources as £2 million[6] or £3 million to the NHS.[7] The incident prompted higher security levels for the Royal Family. Beaton was awarded the George Cross. Alex Callender, Brian McConnell, Ron Russell, PC Michael Hills, and DC Peter Edmonds were awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal.[8]

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[citation needed] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.[9] 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 no children together.

[edit] 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[10] 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.

[edit] 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.[11]

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.[12] In December 2003, one of the Queen's Corgis had to be put down, after being savaged by another of the Princess Royal's dogs, Florence.[13]

[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms

Styles of
HRH The Princess Royal
Reference style Her Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Ma'am

[edit] Titles and styles

[edit] Honours

British 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).

Commonwealth Realms Honours

Foreign Honours

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

[edit] Honourary military appointments

The Princess Royal passes behind the Princess Anne Banner at a parade for the 75th anniversary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals
The Princess Royal passes behind the Princess Anne Banner at a parade for the 75th anniversary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals
The Princess Royal's Coat of Arms
The Princess Royal's Coat of Arms
The Princess Royal's Royal Standard
The Princess Royal's Royal Standard

Like other senior royals, The Princess Royal holds a number of honourary appointments in the British Armed Forces and those 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:

British

Commonwealth Realms

[edit] Arms

The Princess' personalized coat of arms are those of the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom with a label for difference: Quarterly (by quarters):

1st and 4th, Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or (England). (The first and fourth quarters display the three lions, representing England.)
2nd quarter is of a lion rampant within a Double Tressure floury counterflory Gules (Scotland). (The second quarter, displays a red lion in a yellow field with a double border coloured red, this represents Scotland.)
3rd, Azure a Harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland). (The third quarter shows a harp against a blue background, this represents Ireland.)

The whole differenced by a Label of three points Argent, first and third with a cross gules, the second with a heart gules.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] References

  1. ^ As a titled royal, Anne does not hold, nor ever has held, a surname, but, when required, her maiden name is Mountbatten-Windsor
  2. ^ Daily Express, 21 August 2006
  3. ^ 1974: Kidnap attempt on Princess Anne
  4. ^ Kidnap the Princess? Not bloody likely!
  5. ^ Daily Express, 21 August 2006
  6. ^ Princess foiled 1974 kidnap plot
  7. ^ Daily Express, 21 August 2006
  8. ^ Daily Express, 21 August 2006
  9. ^ Nadine Brozan (1992-04-24). CHRONICLE. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
  10. ^ Carers.org
  11. ^ "Princess Anne fined for speeding", 2001-03-13. Retrieved on 2006-05-31. "She saw the police car and believed it was waiting to escort her on her journey." 
  12. ^ "Princess Royal fined over dog attack", 2002-11-21. Retrieved on 2006-05-31. "Relatives of the two boys involved criticised the sentence, calling it 'neither moral nor just'." 
  13. ^ "Anne's dog kills Queen's corgi", 2003-12-24. Retrieved on 2006-05-31. "But Pharos had been badly injured and had to be put down yesterday." 
  14. ^ 2005 Papua New Guinea visit
  15. ^ Honours of the Crown
  16. ^ Canadian Forces Health Services Group, Bulletin November 2003
  17. ^ VAC article, 5 June 2004

[edit] External links

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Anne, Princess Royal
Born: 15 August 1950
British royalty
Preceded by
Lady Louise Windsor		 Line of succession to the British Throne
10th position		 Succeeded by
Peter Phillips
Vacant
Title last held by
Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood		 Princess Royal
1987 – present		 Incumbent
Academic offices
Preceded by
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother		 Chancellor of the University of London
1981 – present		 Incumbent
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother		 Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order
2007 – present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Henry Cooper		 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
1971		 Succeeded by
Mary Peters
Order of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
The Countess of Wessex		 Ladies
HRH The Princess Royal		 Succeeded by
Princess Beatrice of York
v • d • e
UK Order of Precedence (Ladies)*
v • d • e
Princesses Royal
v • d • e
BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners
1954-1959

1954 Christopher Chataway · 1955 Gordon Pirie · 1956 Jim Laker · 1957 Dai Rees · 1958 Ian Black · 1959 John Surtees
1960-1969

1960 David Broome · 1961 Stirling Moss · 1962 Anita Lonsbrough · 1963 Dorothy Hyman · 1964 Mary Rand · 1965 Tom Simpson · 1966 Bobby Moore · 1967 Henry Cooper · 1968 David Hemery · 1969 Ann Jones
1970-1979

1970 Henry Cooper · 1971 HRH The Princess Anne · 1972 Mary Peters · 1973 Jackie Stewart · 1974 Brendan Foster · 1975 David Steele · 1976 John Curry · 1977 Virginia Wade · 1978 Steve Ovett · 1979 Sebastian Coe
1980-1989

1980 Robin Cousins · 1981 Ian Botham · 1982 Daley Thompson · 1983 Steve Cram · 1984 Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean · 1985 Barry McGuigan · 1986 Nigel Mansell · 1987 Fatima Whitbread · 1988 Steve Davis · 1989 Nick Faldo
1990-1999

1990 Paul Gascoigne · 1991 Liz McColgan · 1992 Nigel Mansell · 1993 Linford Christie · 1994 Damon Hill · 1995 Jonathan Edwards · 1996 Damon Hill · 1997 Greg Rusedski · 1998 Michael Owen · 1999 Lennox Lewis
2000-2009

2000 Steve Redgrave · 2001 David Beckham · 2002 Paula Radcliffe · 2003 Jonny Wilkinson · 2004 Kelly Holmes · 2005 Andrew Flintoff · 2006 Zara Phillips · 2007 Joe Calzaghe
Persondata
NAME Royal, Anne
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Laurence, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; Phillips, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; Mountbatten-Windsor, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
SHORT DESCRIPTION Daughter of Elizabeth II
DATE OF BIRTH 15 August 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH London, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH