The Princess Royal didn’t want her children burdened by their titles. (Image: PA)
Princess Anne reportedly chose to forgo Royal titles for her children, and Peter Philips, to free them from the burden of the pressures involved.
Despite being grandchildren of the Queen, the Princess Royal declined the offer of HRH titles for her family.
Mark Philips, Anne’s former spouse, also turned down an earldom at the time of his marriage into the Royal Family.
Ingrid Seward, a biographer, shared on Channel 5’s documentary Gatcombe Park: A Royal Residence: “She knew their lives would be simpler and probably be much happier if they didn’t have the problem of having to live up to a prince or princess.”
Commenting further, Victoria Howard, editor of The Crown Chronicles, noted: “Being lower down the pecking order in the Royal Family, Anne knew her children probably wouldn’t be working royals.
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“And so, when the Queen offered to give them their HRH status as grandchildren of the monarch, she declined.”
Anne is believed to have described being a princess as a “mixed blessing”. While Zara once told New Idea: “We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.”
The backdrop of this decision was a period of change for Anne and Mark as they acquired Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire and adapted to life after Mark’s Armed Forces career, reports .
When the Royal couple embarked on their ambitious renovation project, they were presented with an opportunity to expand their domain by acquiring the adjacent Aston Farm—now the residence of Mike and Zara Tindall.
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Princess Anne and Zara Tindall (Image: (Image: GETTY))
It’s believed that Queen Elizabeth II stepped in to purchase the property, significantly enlarging her daughter and son-in-law’s estate.
However, the clock was ticking on the renovations as Princess Anne was heavily pregnant with Peter at the time. Royal commentator Emily Andrews remarked: “Like any young couple who were renovating their house, pressure was really on to have the house done in town so that she and Mark and the young baby could move in together.”
Despite the tight deadline, the family succeeded in settling into the revamped home just before Peter’s arrival.
Nonetheless, Anne and Mark’s union eventually unravelled, leading to their separation in August 1989 and subsequent divorce in 1992, prior to Anne’s second marriage to Sir Timothy Laurence. Notably, Sir Timothy wasn’t granted a peerage when he wed Anne, although he received a knighthood in 2011.