Marriages, Affairs & Attempted Kidnapping – Inside the Queen's Daughter Princess Anne's Adventures

Princess Anne was once the most famous member of the royal family from her marriages and was almost a kidnapping victim. But nothing can stop the royal daughter; she is still committed to her royal duties and busier than ever.

Princess Anne, The Queen's only daughter, was named the hardest working member of the royal family in 2017. Anne surpassed her brother Prince Charles and engaged in 455 official appearances at events, dinners, and receptions at home, with an additional 85 engagements overseas.

On the other hand, Prince Charles took the title in 2016 but was also on the top of the list, having 374 official appearances in the UK and 172 abroad. The Queen, who was 91 then, was also unstoppable; she participated in 296 engagements in 2017.

BEHIND PRINCESS ANNE'S CHILDHOOD

Queen Elizabeth gave birth to her son Prince Charles and Prince Andrew at Buckingham palace; however, things were a little different regarding the delivery of Princess Anne.

When the Queen was due for labor, Buckingham palace was under construction due to damage it endured during World War I.

Therefore, Princess Anne was born at the Clarence House, where the royal family lived from 1949 to1953. When Princess Anne was born, Prince Phillip told everyone she was "the sweetest girl."

According to close friends of the royal family, The Duke of Edinburgh believed in toughening up his children because it equipped them with skills for survival.

Prince Charles did not respond well to his father's parenting, but Princess Anne, on the contrary, did not mind the rigid nature of both her parents.

Anne was better at riding horses than her brother Charles; when prince Phillip realized that his daughter had athletic genes, he started teaching her how to sail, and she became the best at tennis.

Clearly, the Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed doing physical activities with his children, and again, Charles did not find this a fun way to spend time with his father, whereas Anne thrived when it came to the camping trips they took.

Anne responded well to her father's militant ways, and it became evident that prince Phillip enjoyed spending time with her daughter more than Charles because he was "too sensitive," said the royal sources. Anne was indeed a daddy's girl growing up.

Additionally, Princess Anne was very aware of her position as a royal in society, even the unfortunate part of being isolated from her age mates. As a young girl, she understood that her parents could not always be there because of royal protocol.

The Queen's only daughter has defended her mother against the accusation of her being "uncaring." The Royal Princess said, "I don't believe any of us for a second thought that she didn't care for us in the same way as any other mother did."

The Princess has also spoken up about the family being cold and rigid towards each other. She said: "Judging by some families, I think we are all on pretty good speaking terms after all this time, and that's no mean achievement for many families."

When Anne was nine years old, she became part of The Brownies, a girl guide group equivalent to America's Girl Scouts.

The Queen specially curated Princess Anne's Brownies group, and the meeting took place at Buckingham Palace. Part of her girl guide activities included making friends at every station, but as a royal child was only limited to the 23 members of her group.

As Princess Anne grew up, she started falling in love with horses. According to Express UK, the Princess felt that horses did not treat her differently because of her royal status.

Therefore, her love for horses ignited a competitive rigor, and Anne went on to compete in the Olympics to represent Great Britain in 1976. She was also awarded BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1971.

When Prince Charles and Princess Anne made appearances, they were usually compared. Prince Charles was the friendlier and nicer sibling, while the Princess was labeled as "bad-tempered" and "sulky."

Royal biographer Kitty Kelle said Prince Charles smiled at the photographers, and Princess Anne "swatted them like flies." The royal daughter did not respond to journalist questions while her brother tried his best to attend to them.

Despite her debatable attitude, Princess Anne was an all-rounder; besides being athletic, she was also good at school. She left high school with A levels in English, History, and Politics, but the Princess decided to skip University to focus on her royal duties.

ALL ABOUT PRINCESS ANNE'S RELATIONSHIPS

Princess Anne had an outstanding character from her royal siblings. She even went through a couple of relationships before getting married.

Her most notable relationship was with Andrew Parker Bowels, who married Prince Charle's wife, Camilla. The relationship between Anne and Bowels ended amicably; according to Vanity Fair, Anne never intended to marry Bowels; they just enjoyed each other's company.

Today, Bowels and the royal daughter are still on good terms. He is even the Godfather to Annes's daughter Zara.

Princess Anne fell in love with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, because of their shared love of horses. Anne and Phillips's wedding was a televised royal extravaganza held at Westminster Abbey on November 14, 1973.

The wedding took place on a public holiday with about 500 million viewers. So, The Princess showed up stylishly in a Tudor-style gown with a high neckline and statement sleeves by Maureen Baker. Captain Phillips was wearing his uniform of the Queen's Dragoon Guards.

Princess Anne and Captain Phillips's children were not guaranteed royal titles because they were not from male offspring like Charles or Andrew.

However, the Queen did offer courtesy royal titles to Phillips and their two children, but the Princess declined.

The goal for the former royal couple was for their children to lead lives that were as normal as possible. Even Anne's grandchildren do not have royal titles.

In 1989 Princess Anne separated from Captain Phillips after 15 years of marriage. The royal family made the announcement but made it clear that the royal daughter nor the Queen would comment on any future relations of Princess Anne.

In the statement, Queen said that the two agreed to divorce, which was settled quickly. They have already been legally separated two years before making it final with the court.

Anne was lucky to find love again; after eight months of her divorce from Captain Phillips, Princess Anne married her second husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, in 1992

According to the 2002 documentary "The Real Princess Anne," the Queen's daughter's affair with Laurence led to her separation from her first husband.

Anne and Laurence met while he was still serving in the Navy. The love birds would exchange love letters that were stolen from the royal palace.

However, 30 years later, their romance is strong, and the Princess has also been bringing her husband along on her royal tours.

ANNE WAS ALMOST KIDNAPPED FOR RANSOM

Princess Anne was almost kidnapped just as she was about to arrive at Buckingham Palace. The attack happened four months after her wedding to her first husband, Captain Phillips.

The Queen's only daughter is fully committed to her royal duties; she is even busier than her mother.

Four years later, the Princess opened up about coming face-to-face with armed Ian Ball. In an interview with journalist Sir Michael Parkinson, Anne explained how it all started; "This car overtook us and stopped," she said.

Prince Anne explained that the police and the armed man exchanged gunshots. When all of this was happening, Anne was with her almost kidnapper, Ball.

She said they went on to discuss where he would take her, but Anne kindly told him that she did not want to go anywhere.

At 23 years old, the royal daughter said she managed to escape by reaching the door handle behind her head and doing a summersault onto the road.

In the aftermath of the attack, it was revealed that Ball intended to kidnap the royal daughter for 4 million pounds. Ball was arrested with a life sentence and sent to a psychiatric institution.

PRINCESS ANNE IS STILL THE BUSIEST ROYAL AND AN ACTIVE GRANDMOTHER

The Queen's only daughter is fully committed to her royal duties; she is even busier than her mother.

The Princess and her brother Charles are currently heading the list of the most booked royals. Prince Charles participated in 521 engagements in 2019, while sister Anne attended 506 events.

Princess Anne is 71 years old, but she is an active grandmother who adores her grandchildren. The royal daughter is usually seen attending horse events; however, in 2019, Anne was seen at the Gatcombe Festival of Eventing in Gloucestershire.

The Princess was in full grandmother mode, paying close attention to her granddaughters throughout the event. The youngest of her daughter, Lena, was even seen taking one of her first steps in public, so a very proud moment for the royal grandmother.