Despite being the Queen and Prince Philip’s second oldest child, Princess Anne is much further down the line of succession than her younger brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward.
This is because as a woman, the Princess Royal was knocked down the list when her younger male siblings were born.
The rule has now changed, meaning Princess Charlotte kept her spot when Prince Louis was before, but it was too late for Anne and her family.
But it’s something the family have never seemed too bothered about, and their attitude towards royal titles saw Anne’s husband, Mark Phillips, turn down a very fancy wedding present from the Queen.
The Army Captain and Olympian met Anne through the equestrian circuit and announced their engagement in 1973.
(Image: Getty Images)
Their royal wedding was held in November that year, with a stunning ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
It’s traditional for men in the royal family to get new titles on their wedding day, and the Queen made Prince William the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex.
However, women don’t have this honour, but the Queen offered Mark one instead.
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However, it’s believed that Mark turned down the offer as he wanted to keep his own title of Captain.
Anne and Mark also decided not to give their children, Zara and Peter, titles when they were born.
Even though they were high up the line of succession when they were born, Anne and Mark knew their children would be way down the list by the time they were adults – as Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward’s children would go above them.
Not having titles has allowed the Phillips children to lead more normal lives than their cousins, with normal careers and more freedom.
Speaking to the Times in 2015, Zara said: “I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do.”
It means she doesn’t get any cash from the royal pot and can earn her own money, giving her a lot more freedom than more senior members of her family.
Speaking about Anne’s decision, royal expert Dickie Arbiter told the Sun : “It was a masterstroke of the Princess Royal when she decided not to give her children titles.
“Growing up as a commoner allowed Zara to thrive as her own woman, and there has never been pressure on her to conform. She has benefited from it in all sorts of ways.”
-- to www.mirror.co.uk
