Who is Princess Anne and did she serve in the military?

Princess Anne was at her mother’s bedside when the late Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8. And she was extremely visible during the ceremonies and processions marking her mother’s death.

The Princess Royal – as she is officially titled – is one of the best-known royals in the United Kingdom, largely for her charitable work and long decades as a representative of the Crown. The late Queen’s only daughter long ago earned the nickname ‘the royal workhorse’.

As USA Today writer Maria Puente observed of the royal princess, “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 , unveiled plaques. Anne is one of those royals who takes her great-grandmother Queen Mary’s famous saying seriously.

The Queen Consort famously said to George V, “We never tire and we all love hospitals.”

Her mother adored Anne – and the feeling was clearly mutual. After all, she is the only daughter of the late Queen, who was herself a princess at the time of Anne’s birth in 1950. Siblings include Charles, 73; Anne, 72; Andrew, 62; and Edward, 58.

“I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest mother’s life,” Anne said of her mother’s death in a Buckingham Palace statement released on Tuesday. “It was an honor and a privilege to accompany her on her recent travels.”

Princess Anne is a woman of royal firsts:

• First royal woman to take part in the funeral processions.
• The first royal woman to take part in the symbolic guarding of the coffin while her mother lay down, a ritual known as the Vigil of the Princes.
• She is also the first royal to compete in the Olympics.

A military look

Anne wore a military uniform during the funeral procession. KARE11.com reported that “members of the Royal Family who are bestowed titles and duties on behalf of the Crown are permitted to wear their military uniforms at ceremonial events such as state funerals.” It noted that “for some who have served in the military, such as the newly crowned King Charles III, the uniform is a traditional choice”.

The king is “able to grant and revoke privileges to other kings, including the right to wear military uniforms,” ​​the article reported.

Anne’s military titles are honorary, beginning with being awarded the title of Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy in 1993. She was promoted to Vice Admiral in 2009 and Admiral in 2012. She holds the rank of General in the British Army and is Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.

During the funeral, the Manchester Evening News reported that “The Princess Royal wore a full Royal Navy ceremonial uniform of the rank of Admiral. She wore full size medals including the Queen’s Service Order, Coronation Medal, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medal, Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Royal Navy), Canadian Forces Decoration, Order of St John Service Medal and New Zealand Medal 1990.”

A charitable perspective

The royal princess is predicted to become more visible now that her older brother, King Charles III, is in power. But she has represented the crown since she was 18, opening an education and training center in Shropshire.

She has been President of Save the Children UK for half a century and has attended many of their programs in different countries, from Botswana to China, Cambodia to Madagascar, according to her official profile on royal.uk. She has also helped start charities including The Princess Royal’s Trust for Carers, Transaid and Riders for Health.

The driver part listens to one of her passions. Anne is an experienced rider having competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics as part of the British Equestrian Team. This experience probably helps her as a member of the International Olympic Committee. She was also a member of the London Organizing Committee for the 2012 Games and served as President of the British Olympic Association.

Like the new king, the princess royal has been married twice. In 1992, as reported by Town and Country, she married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, who had served as an assistant – formal title Equerry – to the royal family. She was previously married to Captain Mark Phillips, with whom she had two children, Zara and Peter.