Princess Anne Celebrates 74th Birthday: See Her Life in Photos

Princess Anne was born to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1950, and she’s kept royal watchers enamored for more than 70 years.

Anne married British army Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. The following year, the newlyweds had a fright when an attempt was made to kidnap the princess.

Anne has been known for breaking the rules and is even one of the few royals to get divorced and remarry. She and Phillips finalized their divorce in April 1992, and she remarried Sir Timothy Laurence, a naval officer and former aide to the queen, the following December.

Later in life, Anne settled into her role as a grandmother. Her son, Peter Phillips, and his ex-wife, Autumn Kelly, share daughters Savannah and Isla. Her daughter, Zara Phillips, shares daughters Mia and Lena as well as son Lucas with Mike Tindall. None of her children or grandchildren have titles, a break from tradition that Anne hoped would result in her kids having normal lives.

See photos of Princess Anne through the years:

Everett/Shutterstock
1950
Elizabeth and Philip welcomed their second child, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, at Clarence House, which was their residence at the time.
Universal History Archive/Shutterstock
1952
Anne was 2 years old when her mother took the throne.
 
Edward Wing/Shutterstock
1958
The princess grew up with corgis, sharing her mother’s affection for the dogs.
 
Historia/Shutterstock
1965
The family celebrated Prince Edward’s 1st birthday together.
Everett/Shutterstock
1966
Princess Anne was photographed on her 16th birthday in the library at Buckingham Palace.
Reginald Davis/Shutterstock
1969
The queen’s daughter attended a state dinner with the queen in Vienna, Austria.
 
David Bagnall/Shutterstock
1969
She attended Charles’ investiture ceremony to celebrate his title as the Prince of Wales.
 
Reginald Davis/Shutterstock
1973
She married fellow Olympic horse rider Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973 at Westminster Abbey.
 
Monty Fresco/Daily Mail/Shutterstock
1974
The royal survived a kidnapping attempt.
 
AP/Shutterstock
1976
The accomplished equestrian competed in the Montreal Olympics.
 
Evening Standard/Shutterstock
1977
Anne gave birth to her first child, son Peter, on November 15, 1977.
 
Tony Weaver/Daily Mail/Shutterstock
1981
Anne welcomed daughter Zara on May 15, 1981.
 
ITV/Shutterstock
1981
Princess Anne married a commoner and decided not to give her children any royal titles.
 
Peter Kemp/AP/Shutterstock
1987
Anne became Princess Royal, a title usually reserved for the eldest daughter of a monarch. There can only be one Princess Royal at a time, and it is the highest honorary title for a female member of the royal family.
 
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1992
Anne finalized her split from her first husband in April and married Timothy Laurence in December.
 
Andrew Murray/Shutterstock
1996
The princess continued working with child-focused charities including Save the Children.
 
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2005
She attended Charles and Camilla’s wedding, wearing a bright blue coat.
Ian Salas/EPA/Shutterstock
2007
The princess continued carrying out royal engagements as her father and mother slowly stepped back, including this visit to a firestation in Chile known as “English Station.”
 
Robert Perry/Shutterstock
2010
The princess became a grandmother for the first time in 2010.
 
Tim Scrivener/Shutterstock
2012
The princess proudly presented Zara with an Olympic medal for her equestrian competitions. 
Jane Barlow/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
2022
Amid her mother’s death, Anne was the first female member of the British royal family to “stand guard” during the Vigil of the Princes. Anne wore her naval uniform as she joined her three brothers for the vigil.
 
Tom Maher/INPHO/Shutterstock
May 2023
Ahead of King Charles III’s coronation, Anne spoke out in a rare interview about the notion that he plans to “slim down” the monarchy after being crowned king.
“Well, I think the ‘slimmed-down’ [comment] was said in a day when there were a few more people around … [to] make that seem like a justifiable comment,” the princess explained to CBC. “It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I would say. I’m not quite sure what else we can do.”
Ash Knotek/Shutterstock
May 2023
Anne supported big brother Charles at his coronation alongside Prince Edward, Prince William, Princess Kate and more. Following the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Anne joined the royal procession to Buckingham Palace on horseback, being the only royal family member to do so.
“I have a role as the Colonel of the Blues and Royals in the Household Cavalry regiment as Gold-Stick [in Waiting]. And Gold Stick was the original close protection officer,” she told Canada’s CBC News earlier that month. “So that is a role I was asked if I’d like to do for this coronation, so I said ‘yes.’”
She stood with her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace later that day.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
2024
One day after Buckingham Palace revealed that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, Anne made an appearance handing out honors to public figures during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. She and other senior royals continued to fill in for Charles at numerous public events before he resumed royal duties in March and public-facing appearances in April.
Less than two weeks after riding on horseback during the Trooping the Colour parade, Buckingham Palace announced that Anne had been hospitalized after sustaining “minor injuries and [a] concussion” following an incident in her Gatacombe Park home. “Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery,” read the statement. No further details about the injury were shared at the time, but Anne briefly canceled her public appearances.
When she celebrated her 74th birthday in August, the official royal family Instagram account shared a sweet message along with various photos of Anne. “Wishing The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today!” the caption read.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
2025
Princess Anne spoke with the Press Association in January and discussed the possibility of retirement, noting that it “isn’t really an option” for members of the royal family.
“I don’t think there’s a retirement program [in] this particular life,” she quipped. “It really isn’t written in, no. It isn’t really an option, no, I don’t think so.”
During the same interview, Anne looked back at her 2024 horse riding accident and revealed that she had no recollection of the incident that left her hospitalized.
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