Princess Anne is arguably the most relatable member of the royal family.
In fact, it might be safe to compare Anne to her late aunt,Princess Margaret.
“She’s a gem.
Even Queen Elizabeth II, for all her accomplishments, never attended boarding school.
“I was ready to go to school.
Anne attended Benenden School in Kent from 1963 until 1968, obtaining two A-levels and six O-levels.
“But then you have to find the right horse at the right time.
But I always knew it was going to be limited time.
She once snuck out of the palace to race a sports car
Princess Anne likes fast cars.
No wonder Anne was itching to take the wheel.
Stewart said that he always knew Anne to prefer the driver’s seat.
“You drive more than any other lady I know.
You were always keen to be behind the wheel, that was for sure,” he said.
Anne later admitted that she’s not “the world’s best passenger.”
“And I thought, for God’s sake, the princess was cleaning out stables?
I don’t really think that was appropriate,” Stewart said.
The first thing you did and the last thing you did was to look after them.”
The incident in question took place in 1974.
A nearby journalist and two police officers also suffered gunshot wounds.
Anne, however, remained perfectly calm.
Anne wasn’t impressed or intimidated.
“He said I had to go with him …
I can’t remember why.
I said I didn’t think I wanted to go.
Police managed to dissolve the situation, and Anne went home without a scratch and with a killer reputation.
In October 1990, reports surfaced that Anne had been fined $295 after exceeding the speed limit twice.
Anne was driving 77 mph in a 60 mph zone the first time she was caught.
The second time, she was driving 90 mph in the same speed zone.
When asked for comment, Buckingham Palace followed its age-old protocol of replying with “no comment.”
Because of these two offenses, Anne’s driver’s license was revoked for a month.
The only issue was that Anne was already married to Mark Phillips.
That relationship didn’t last, however.
Remarrying after her divorce effectively made Anne the first member of the British royal family to ever do so.
She didn’t pose with him on the steps, however.
The tradition continued when Prince Harry was born, and Prince William and Princess Catherine have since followed suit.
Still, the speculation was that Anne and Phillips didn’t want their children constrained by the monarchy.
It turns out those rumors were mostly accurate.
Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2020, Princess Anne finally explained her decision.
So I think that was probably the right thing to do,” she said.
When you ask Anne’s children what they think, it’s clear that she did right by them.
“We were very lucky that we kind of got to do it a bit our own way.”
In 2020, the Princess Royal caused quite a stir when she hopped on the Tube.
At first, no one recognized her.
It was London Fashion Week, and the Underground was very busy.
Anne journeyed to St. Paul’s and then traveled to an engagement related to London Fashion Week.
While most people didn’t notice the princess (because who expects to see a royal on the Tube?
), some of the workers from the Underground recognized her and could hardly believe their eyes.
“She came through with another older woman and her security.
We weren’t expecting any royalty.
Hardly anybody seemed to notice them,” a Transport for London staff member told theDaily Mail.
Regarding the number of royal engagements each member tallies yearly, the Princess Royal usually comes out on top.
“The amount of time she dedicates is remarkable.
Princess Anne often attends more royal engagements than even her brother, King Charles III.
In 2024, for example, she carried out over 30 more engagements than Charles.
You’ll find her attending up to five engagements daily, to the distress of some of her aides.
In a 2020 documentary, Anne admitted to watching some of the show’s first episodes.
“[It was] quite interesting,” she said (viaThe Standard).
“The actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did.
And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’
I mean, it takes me 10 or 15 minutes,” Anne quipped.
you’re free to add “professional hair stylist” to Anne’s long list of accolades.
She’s long been known for her tireless work with charities.
Zambia’s former president, Kenneth Kaunda, nominated the Princess Royal.
Kaunda found her work admirable.
“She loves people.
She has extended that love to working for helpless children in many parts of the world.
That is love in action,” the former Zambian president told BBC (viaDeseret News).
Anne then cracks a smile but makes no move towards the president.
An incident that occurred in 2007 spawned various headlines, some of them quite funny.
“‘Hands orf!’
One can pick oneself up, says Anne,” theDaily Mail headline read.
Anne was on a walkabout when she slipped and took a graceful fall.
“No, don’t do that, thank you.
Grabbing me round my (inaudible) won’t help.
I’m perfectly capable of getting myself up,” Anne was heard saying.
She was mildly shaken but swiftly recovered and was determined to continue with the walk through St. Peter Port.
She was soon acknowledging bystanders in her usual relaxed and engaging way.”
Anne chuckled andreplied, “Well, I don’t know because it isn’t.”
She also once comically described what royal engagements are like.
Anne is as independent as a woman in the royal family can be.
Anne can break the rules a little because she does her own makeup.
Clearly, Anne knows what she’s doing.
“It also helps to support those who still manufacture in this country.
Brilliant,” she said.
Anne chooses (and re-wears) outfits that are functional and comfortable.
It’s no wonder she likes to choose her own outfits.
“With online technology … being in touch is one thing, but it’s not quite the same.
The ability to meet people, that’s what makes the difference,” she explained.
“Life’s too short, frankly.
There’s more entertaining things to be done.
I suppose that puts me in the real dinosaur range.”
“Can you see everybody?
You should have six people on your screen,” she told her mother.
You know what I look like!”
“I truly love Princess Anne such wit!”
one person commented, while another quipped, “The Princess Royal can be summed up in one word.
(viaThe Independent).
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
