The Princess Royal, the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, was born at Clarence House, London, on 15 August 1950, and was baptised Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise. She started her education in a small private class at Buckingham Palace. In 1963 she went to Benenden, a boarding school in Kent.

The Princess began to undertake public engagements when she was eighteen. Her first State Visit was a trip to Australia with her parents and brother Charles in 1970.

The Princess Royal married Lieutenant (later Captain) Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey on 14 November 1973, and their first child was born on 15 November 1977. He was christened Peter Mark Andrew Phillips. They subsequently had a daughter in 1981, christened Zara Anne Elizabeth. They were divorced in 1992 and later the same year the Princess Royal married Commander Timothy Laurence, Royal Navy (now Commodore Laurence).

The Princess received the title Princess Royal from the Queen in June 1987; she was previously known as Princess Anne.

In 1994 the Queen appointed her The Princess a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. In 2000, on the occasion of her 50th birthday, the Princess Royal was appointed to the Order of the Thistle in recognition of her work for charities. She has been President of the Save the Children Fund since 1970, and has also been closely involved with the creation of other charities, notably the Princess Royal's Trust for Carers, Transaid and Riders for Health.

As well as her work for charities and regiments in Britain and overseas, the Princess undertakes up to three overseas tours each year for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She also carries out a wide range of official duties and visits in the United Kingdom in support of regional authorities and local institutions. The Princess is also a keen and skilled horsewoman and represented the UK at the 1976 Olympic Games.

References:
Royal Family website http://www.royal.gov.uk

 

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