Princess Anne reportedly decided against her children having royal titles so they would not have to “live up” to being a prince and princess.
As grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II, the late monarch offered HRH titles to both Zara Tindall and her older brother Peter Philips when they were born. However, the Princess Royal is said to have opted against it.
Anne’s then-husband, Mark Philips, also declined the earldom when he married into the Royal Family. Speaking on Channel 5’s Gatcombe Park: A Royal Residence, biographer Ingrid Seward said: “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.”
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Victoria Howard, editor of The Crown Chronicles, added: “Being lower down the pecking order in the Royal Family, Anne knew her children probably wouldn’t be working royals. 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.”
Princess Anne and Zara Tindall
(Image: (Image: GETTY))
The lead up to Peter’s birth was a challenging time for Anne and her now-ex-husband Mark. The couple had recently purchased Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire as Mark left his position in the Armed Forces.
When the couple began renovating the estate, they were offered the chance to purchase the nearby Aston Farm – now home to Mike and Zara Tindall. Queen Elizabeth II is said to have purchased the property, giving her daughter and son-in-law a considerably larger estate.
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But the pressure was on for the renovation, as Anne was eight months pregnant with Peter while work was underway. Royal expert Emily Andrews, said: “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.”
The family managed to move into the property in time for Peter’s birth. Anne and Mark, however, split and went their separate ways in August 1989.
They divorced in 1992 ahead of Anne’s marriage to current husband Sir Timothy Laurence. Sir Timothy was also not given a peerage upon marriage to Anne, but was knighted in 2011.