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Though she is not often discussed in the media, Princess Anne is still lauded as one of the first modern royals in the British royal family. The second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Princess Royal was skipped over in the line of succession by her younger brothers, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

However, that hasn’t stopped her from living a very iconic life. Her father’s favorite, the princess thwarted a kidnapping attempt when she was a teenager. Also, she competed at the 1972 Olympics in Munich as an equestrian. In the ’90s she swiftly divorced her cheating husband when he fathered a child outside of their marriage and married a much younger man the same year.

The princess’s children, Peter and Zara grew up in the royal fold. However, unlike their cousins, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice, they’ve never had royal titles. Princess Anne reportedly doesn’t regret her decision one bit.

Princess Anne has had to deal with her privacy being invaded

Being a member of the British royal family means your entire life is on the global stage. This can be very uncomfortable, especially when your personal and private information gets splashed across the media.

In 1989, when the princess was still married to Captain Mark Phillips, some personal letters were stolen from her. The letters were addressed to Timothy Laurence, the Queen’s Equerry. “The stolen letters were addressed to the Princess Royal by Commander Timothy Laurence, the Queen’s Equerry. We have nothing to say about the contents of personal letters sent to Her Royal Highness by a friend which were stolen and which are the subject of a police investigation,” the Palace said in a statement at the time.

“Obviously, Tim and the princess were physically attracted to each other, but their friendship goes deeper than that,” a source told People. “He cares for her in the way her husband does not.”

Princess Anne married Timothy Laurence in 1992.

Inside Princess Anne’s approach to royal life

Despite some missteps, Princess Anne has never let the spotlight or the media ruffle her feathers. In fact, she isn’t the most well-liked royal and she doesn’t really care what people think of her.

“Unlike many others in the family, [Princess Anne’s] never gone in for image-building with the media, so there’s been no facade to crumble away,” the narrator says in the Channel 4 documentary, The Real Princess Anne. “It’s one area in which she’s perhaps content to be outclassed by her rivals. [Anne’s] had her share of indiscretions, but she’s handled them discreetly and with dignity. For much of her life, she’s been eclipsed by her older brother, but the more daunting the burden on the House of Windsor, the more the black sheep of the family has come into her own.”

As Peter Phillips Chats On His Mobile Phone Princess Anne And Zara Phillips Move In Close To Listen At The National Hunt Festival At Cheltenham Races
As Peter Phillips Chats On His Mobile Phone Princess Anne And Zara Phillips Move In Close To Listen At The National Hunt Festival At Cheltenham Races |Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
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Princess Anne doesn’t regret not giving her children royal titles

Princess Anne’s biggest rebellion against The Crown was when she refused to give her children royal titles when they were born in 1977 and 1981 respectively.

 “I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles,” she told Vanity Fair. “So I think that was probably the right thing to do. Anne noted that she has no regrets about Zara and Peter’s on-paper standing in the family. She believes they’re actually better off.”

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