Princess Anne: Over Worked and Under Valued

Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise has always marched to the beat of her own drum - or horse hooves. She has always been fiercely independent. She has long been known as the hardest working member of the House of Windsor as she consistently carries out more 'official' duties each year than any other royal - including Her Majesty. She seems a simple yet misunderstood person. Her no-nonsense approach to life has led the press to nickname her 'Sourpuss', but has helped her maintain her privacy and raise two seemingly well-adjusted children. She is criticized for being frugal (she often pulls a dress or coat she wore 20 years ago out to be worn again), but has never been in a position of living beyond her means or relying on 'special favors' to get by in her life. Unlike her elder brother, Charles, she never indulges in self-pity, seeming to live by the Duchess of Windsor's motto, "Never explain, never complain."

Princess Anne enjoyed her time in school more for the 75 minute a day lesson in horsemanship with Cherry Kendall, renowned rider in Three-Day Events, than for the academics. Though she decided to forgo university studies and pursue her equestrian passion, she still began taking on solo royal duties in 1968 at the age of eighteen. According to her biography on the 'official' royal family web page, she, 'flew her personal standard for the first time in 1969 when she opened an education and training center in Shropshire.' Her first state visit was also in 1969. In 1970 she became the President of the Save the Children Fund. All this she accomplished without missing a beat in her chosen profession. For in 1971 she won the individual European Three-Day Event and was nominated Sportswoman of the Year by the Sports Writers' Association, the Daily Express newspaper and the journal of the British Olympic Association, World Sports. The BBC voted her Sports Personality the very same year.

Princess Anne proved early on that she had the focus and the drive to excel in sports and in living up to the expectations of duty that are set for a Princess in the House of Windsor. In 1975 Princess Anne followed her 1971 success with the European Three-Day Event by winning silver medals for both her individual and her team performance. In 1976 she competed for Britain in this same event at the Montreal Olympics. Princess Anne once said, "The horse is about the only person who does not know you are Royal." In 1986 she became the President of International Equestrian Federation, succeeding her father. She became the President of the British Olympic Association and five years later in 1988 she was elected to the International Olympic Committee. As President of the Riding for the Disabled Association, Anne opens centers and presents rosettes to the disabled riders who demonstrate their skills to their active patron.

Princess Anne is patron of over 220 organizations. In 1997 she carried out 445 'official' engagements. The August 1999 edition of The Royalty Report stated that in 1998 she carried out a reported 679 official engagements which could be broken out to 301 official visits and opening ceremonies, 103 receptions, lunches and dinners, 62 meetings and other UK engagements, and 213 overseas engagements. The September 2000 The Royalty Report said that Anne carried out 1,138 public engagements in 1999. With only 365 days in a year that figure tells us that Princess Anne carried out almost two engagements a day in 1998 and almost three a day in 1999. That is extraordinary when you consider the travel that is involved in carrying out some of these engagements. For example, in the year 2000 the Princesses duties with the Olympics took her to Australia for more than two weeks and to Moscow for several days. Today the organizations that Princess Anne is patron of to a great extent represent her focus on children's causes, though you'd never find her hugging a child she meets on one of her tours. "The very idea that all children want to be cuddled by a complete stranger I find utterly amazing," is Princess Anne's response to those who feel she could be more tactile to the children who's well being she works hard to ensure. This and the statement she once made regarding the fact that she isn't terribly fond of children, "You don't have to like them to be interested in their welfare," are two more reasons that she is considered cold.

One person who is a great fan of Princess Anne is her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. She has been giving Anne awards for many years to show her gratitude to this hard working daughter. The Queen announced Anne's appointment as Colonel in Chief of The Royal Scots during Her Majesty review of the regiment during its 350th Anniversary celebration in 1983. In June of 1987 the Queen bestowed the honor of Princess Royal on Anne as well as making her a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1994 the Queen appointed her a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Princess Anne turned 50 on August 15, 2000 and her mother honored her again by appointing her a Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle on St. Andrew's Day. This, the highest honor in Scotland, honors Princess Anne's tireless work and her ties to the country where she wed her second husband, Timothy Laurence in 1992.

Another fan of Princess Anne is former Prime Minister Edward Heath who described her to biographer John Parker, "She has shown herself to be one of the most active royal patrons of all time, tireless in travel, fearless in facing hazards in countries overseas…and uninhibited in showing understanding of children's problems wherever she finds them."* Mike Aaronson, director general of the Save the Children the organization Anne has been President of for over 30 years describes her, "In her readiness to think laterally and to question conventional wisdom - often through vigorous debate - she has always displayed great courage and intellectual integrity." High praise indeed, but well earned.

In viewing the 'big picture' I'd say Princess Anne has quietly gone about her duty for over thirty years and is finally getting some recognition for it. Her dedication through long standing patronage and diligence in performing her duties reminds me of her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Though Anne may have never formal pledged her whole life to duty and service to the subjects of her country and the countries of the Commonwealths as her mother did, she certainly continues to behave as if she had. As my sister commented to me while I was researching this article, "It seems as if in the House of Windsor it is the women who rule - Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II and now the Princess Royal." How could I argue with such a statement?

All the best,