Anne Mountbatten-Windsor

**Anne, Princess Royal** (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, born August 15, 1977) is a member of the british royal family. She is the second and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She is 17th in Line of succession to british throne.

She has one older brother Charles III (b.1948) and two younger brothers Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b.1960) and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (b.1964).

In 1973, she married Captain Mark Phillips with whom had two children: Peter (b.1977) and Zara (b.1981). They separated in 1989, and divorced in 1992. Within months of her divorce in 1992, Anne married Commander (later Vice Admiral) Sir Timothy Laurence, whom she had met while he served as her mother's equerry between 1986 and 1989.

## Early life

Princess Anne was born August 15, 1950 at Clarence House, the residence of her mother, who was then still Princess Elizabeth, during the reign of her maternal grandfather King George VI.

Anne was baptised on October 15, 1950 in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of York, Cyril Garbett.

## Education

A governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed to look after Anne and her brothers, Charles, Andrew, and Edward. Peebles was responsible for Anne's early education at Buckingham Palace. Given her young age at the time, Anne did not attend her mother's coronation in June 1953.

A Girl Guides company, the 1st Buckingham Palace Company to include the Holy Trinity Brompton Brownie pack, was re-formed in May 1959, specifically so that, as her mother and aunt had done as children, Anne could socialise with girls her own age. The company was active until 1963, when Anne went to boarding school. Anne enrolled at Benenden School in 1963. In 1968, she left school with six GCE O-Levels and two A-Levels. She began to undertake royal engagements in 1969, at the age of 18.

## Personal life

Anne met Mark Phillips, a lieutenant in the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards, in 1968 at a party for horse lovers. Their engagement was announced on 29 May 1973. On 14 November 1973, the couple married at Westminster Abbey in a televised ceremony, with an estimated audience of 100 million.

They subsequently took up residence at Gatcombe Park. As was customary for untitled men marrying into the royal family, Phillips was offered an earldom, which he declined; consequently their children were born without titles. Anne and her husband had two children: Peter Phillips (born 1977) and Zara Tindall (born 1981).

On 31 August 1989, Anne and Phillips announced their intention to separate; the couple had been rarely seen in public together and both were romantically linked with other people. They shared custody of their children, and initially announced that "there were no plans for divorce." However, on 13 April 1992 the Palace announced that Anne had filed for divorce, which was finalized ten days later.

Anne met Timothy Laurence, a commander in the Royal Navy, while he was serving on the Royal Yacht *Britannia*. Their relationship developed in early 1989, three years after he was appointed as an equerry to the Queen. In 1989, the existence of private letters from Laurence to the Princess was revealed by *The Sun* newspaper. The couple married at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle in Scotland, on 12 December 1992. Approximately 30 guests were invited for the private marriage service. Unlike the Church of England at the time, the Church of Scotland considered marriage to be an ordinance of religion rather than a sacrament and permitted the remarriage of divorced persons under certain circumstances. Anne became the first royal divorcee to remarry since Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

For the wedding ceremony, Anne wore a white jacket over a "demure, cropped-to-the-knee dress" and a spray of white flowers in her hair. Her engagement ring was made of "a cabochon sapphire flanked by three small diamonds on each side". Following the marriage service, the couple and guests headed to Craigowan Lodge for a private reception. Laurence received no peerage.

## Titles and succession

* August 5, 1950 - February 6, 1952: *Her Royal Highness Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise of Edinburgh*
* February 6, 1952 - November 14, 1973: *Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise*
* November 14, 1973 - June 13, 1987: *Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, Mrs. Mark Phillips*
* June 13, 1987 - present: *Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal*

From birth, thanks to letters patent issued by her grandfather, George VI on 22 October 1948, Anne was a British princess with the style of *Royal Highness* and the territorial designation "of Edinburgh". Upon her mother's accession to the throne in 1952, the territorial designation was dropped and she became styled as "The Princess Anne". After she married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, she was styled as "The Princess Anne, Mrs Mark Phillips" until her mother created her Princess Royal, an appellation given only to the eldest daughter of the sovereign, on 13 June 1987. Anne is the seventh Princess Royal since the title was first granted to Mary, daughter of Charles I. The previous holder was Anne's great-aunt, Mary, daughter of George V.

At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her mother and older brother. She rose to second in 1952 after her grandfather's death and her mother's accession; she is currently 17th in line

## Issue

1977 (age 46)
Divorced June 14, 2021
1981 (age 42)