Princess Anne steps in for Queen Elizabeth to represent Royal Family at jubilee celebrations

According to The Sun, it is becoming more and more 'increasingly unlikely' that Queen Elizabeth will be able to attend her favourite event of the year - the horse races at Epsom. Anne will be taking the reins and standing in for the monarch, representing the Royal family at this event.

In fact, we might see rather a lot of the Queen's daughter at QE2's jubilee events. During the celebratory extended bank holiday weekend, the Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will visit Edinburgh. Anne is really stepping up and representing the Royal family in her mother's absence, who is unable to keep up with her busy schedule due to mobility issues.

"He will need them, and they are the ones who will set the tone and be there." These are the words quoted on Express.co.uk from an exclusive interview with royal historian, Marlene Koenig. The historian discussed Charles' plans when he takes the throne and how Sophie, Countess of Wessex and the Princess Royal will be a big part of them.

"Anne would probably say, 'Excuse me, buddy. I’m doing it'," Koenig continued, referring to the princess' well-known character. The Princess Royal is a key player in the Royal family and her life has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Princess Anne started out like any other royal. She is the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and was born before the Queen’s coronation: Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise at Clarence House on 15th August 1950. This lady has offered us many incredible (and sometimes scandalous) moments.

In 1973, Anne married Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey. This was scandalous enough. The Captain was a “commoner” and not exactly the marriage the royal family had hoped for. Captain Mark Phillips was, reportedly, offered a royal title which he declined, preferring to keep his ‘Captain’ status.

With Phillips, she had two children, Peter and Zara Tindall. The Queen had offered the two children titles when they were born, but Anne turned them both down, in a shock moment for the royal family. "I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles," she told Vanity Fair in 2020. "So I think that was probably the right thing to do.”

During her marriage to Mark Phillips it was known she had at least two affairs. Firstly with Sergeant Peter Cross - her bodyguard.

Cross was removed from her group of bodyguards but the Princess had means to continue the affair anyway. The affair eventually came to an end and she moved on to affair number two.

Timothy Laurence, who later became Anne’s husband, had entered the princess’ life via love letters which were eventually sold to the press. The couple were unashamed of their relationship and, in true Princess Anne fashion, were blunt and open about the whole affair.

Anne finally divorced her husband, Mark Phillips, in 1992 and married Laurence. They are still happily married after 30 years, despite the turbulent beginnings to their relationship.

Princess Anne is widely known for her frank talk and honest opinions. She is described as having a ‘no-nonsense’ attitude. This particularly came to light when she was asked how she felt about the birth of her great-nephew Prince George in 2013. The Princess Royal responded: “Well, it’s nothing to do with me.”

To add to her no-nonsense stance on things, Princess Anne made headlines in 2019 when then-President Donald Trump came to meet the Queen, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker-Bowles. However, when the Queen gestured to Anne to come and greet him, she simply laughed and shrugged her shoulders. It immediately went viral.

Although many found the incident incredibly refreshing - and amusing - Time wrote, "While Princess Anne's refusal has been widely taken as a snub of the Trumps, it does not appear that she violated any royal protocol.” Let off the hook.

Her strong personality and frank remarks could have saved her when she was almost kidnapped in 1974. The princess was returning from a charity event when a vehicle blocked her path. A man got out of the vehicle and shot the chauffeur. The princess was in trouble.

He demanded Anne get out of the car, which her rapid response was “Not bloody likely!”. Later she revealed she had just kept him talking, "We had a sort of discussion about where or where not we were going to go," Anne told talk show host Michael Parkinson in 1980. "I was scrupulously polite because I thought it was silly to be too rude at that stage."

Ball was arrested and charged with attempted murder and kidnapping after he had shot four men during the ordeal. The princess was in one piece and returned to normal life like nothing had happened.

Princess Anne was appointed to the royal Knights and Ladies of the Garter in 1994. However, instead of becoming a lady she had requested to become a knight. Why? Because Ladies of the Garter don’t carry the same status as Knights of the Garter. Now she is held in the same rank as her brothers.

Princess Anne was an equestrian Olympian and competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. However, despite being a wonderful thing for a royal to do, she created some controversy regarding her gender.

The Princess Royal did not complete the ‘gender verification tests’ that were mandatory for all Olympic athletes until their abolishment in 2020. Her own reasons we will never know, but the reason the princess was declared exempt was due to ‘Royal Courtesy’, according to The Telegraph.

"You couldn’t shake hands with everybody, so don’t start,” the princess explained in 2018 documentary Queen of the World. She refuses to shake hands with members of the public when out on royal engagements. She declared that public appearances had become more of a ‘shaking hands exercise’ than a ‘walkabout’.

The princess has committed more offenses than just not shaking the hands of the British public. She is the first member of the royal family to be convicted of a criminal offence. In addition, she has received more than the odd fine.

Princess Anne was walking her two English bull terriers in Windsor Great Park when one of her beloved pets bit two young boys. She was fined for this criminal offense and ordered to pay compensation. However, the victims' family were unhappy with the outcome. They said, "We do not think justice has been done. The dog is still free and is a danger to society.”

In 1972 Princess Anne received a warning for driving over the speed limit. Despite the warning, she did it again in 1977 and this time was fined for the offence. Years later, in 1990 she would do it again, but third time unlucky, she was banned from driving for a month.

The Princess did not seem to learn her lesson and in 2001 was fined over $500 for surpassing the speed limit yet again. At the time, the princess was unaware that the police were chasing her. She thought they had arrived to escort her to an event.

Despite these offences and scandalous events in the princess’ life, the British public seem to feel refreshed by the outspoken royal. Not only is she outspoken and declining titles whilst asking to be on the same level as men, she also lives a humble ‘normal’ life.

Earlier this year, photos were released of the intimate image of the inside of Princess Anne’s home. It is not what you would have imagined from a royal. The photo, released on Instagram on the royal family’s page, showed an extremely humble abode with an outdated, cosy living room filled with trinkets and ornaments. Many people praised Anne’s down-to-earth attitude.

The Princess is also respected by the Brits thanks to her commitment to style. British Vogue editor Edward Enninful told Vanity Fair in 2020, "Princess Anne is a true style icon and was all about sustainable fashion before the rest of us really knew what that meant… She is timeless in her style, and she wears a tailored suit better than anyone else I can think of.”

However, she is unashamed of recycling. Many Royals, especially Kate Middleton and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice are constantly under scrutiny of the fashion-obsessed press. But Anne will recycle whole outfits, jewellery and dresses without caring she had been seen in them before. And still look good.