The Real Reason Why Princess Anne’s Children Do Not Have Royal Titles
Princess Anne has been exceptional since the moment she was born. As the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Anne is the only sister of King Charles III and has been Princess Royal — one of only seven to carry this title — since 1987. Yet Anne has never been one for titles, neither for herself nor her children.
Princess Anne made history at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
The Princess Royal made history last month when she became the first female royal to participate in the Vigil of the Princes.
The Vigil of the Princes was first held at the funeral of King George V in 1936 and again after the Queen Mother died in 2002. Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral marks only the third time the ritual has been performed and the first time a female royal has been included.
Princess Anne joined her brothers — King Charles, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward — for the ceremony. Donning her full military uniform (Anne is an admiral in the British Navy, a general in the British Army, and an air chief marshal in the Royal Air Force), the princess participated in many of the funeral proceedings as an important royal family member. Anne was also with the queen when she died on September 8.
Why don’t Princess Anne’s children have royal titles?
The title of “Princess Royal” was bestowed upon Anne 35 years ago and is one of the highest honors for female royalty. There have been only six other Princess Royals. Yet despite her rank, Princess Anne is known for her aversion to life in the spotlight.
“The Princess Royal … doesn’t do gossip — or self-promotion,” USA Today reports. “Instead, she does her job with a minimum of fuss, showing up month after month, year after year, cutting ribbons, visiting charities, opening hospitals, attending meetings, unveiling plaques.”
Considering this, it makes sense that when it was time to bestow royal titles on her children — Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall — Princess Anne famously declined. Instead, she opted for her children to have their given names only. Years later, she told Vanity Fair that “there are downsides to having titles.”
Her decision seems to have benefitted everyone involved, with both of her kids enjoying close relationships with their late grandmother and the royal family while still being afforded the freedoms that come with non-title-bearing life. Zara, in particular, has been supportive of her mother’s decision, telling the Times in 2015 that she considers herself “lucky” not to have an HRH title (via People).
However, their lack of royal titles doesn’t discount Anne’s children from the line of succession. Peter is 17th in line for the throne, and Zara is 20th. If either ascended the throne, it’s unclear whether their lack of titles would impede them because many kings and queens adopt regal names. (However, Queen Elizabeth II famously did not, preferring to keep her name and forgo tradition — sound familiar?)
Anne’s highly publicized love life
Though Princess Anne prefers to remain out of the spotlight, being the queen’s only daughter has sparked public interest and media exposure, particularly regarding her love life.
Anyone who has seen The Crown Season 3 knows about the messy scandal that erupted among Anne, Charles, Camilla, and Camilla’s ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles (although the true story is not nearly as scandalous as the fictionalized version). Anne and Parker Bowles dated only briefly, but that didn’t stop the press from making headlines about their connection.
Anne then wed Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. They had Peter and Zara before separating in 1989 after the Olympic gold medal-winning equestrian fathered a child in an extramarital affair.
Meanwhile, according to letters stolen from a briefcase and leaked to the press, Anne was carrying on a relationship with Sir Timothy Laurence, Brides reports.
In 1992, Anne and Captain Phillips divorced, Sir Laurence proposed, and the pair wed the same year. And as if that weren’t enough fodder for the media, the wedding was quite the scandal. Princess Anne’s second wedding ceremony happened in Scotland because the Church of England did not accept subsequent marriages at the time.
Considering the unwanted attention that has proven inescapable for Anne throughout her life, it’s hardly a wonder why she chose to forgo royal titles for her children, hoping to give them the privacy she never enjoyed as a princess.
