Being the only daughter of the late Queen and Prince Philip, Princess Anne has spent her whole life in the public eye.
She has become as one of the most well-known and trusted members of the royal family over the past few decades, first assisting her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in her role as queen and now her brother, King Charles.
It is safe to say that throughout that period, she has also grown to be one of the public's favourite members of the royal family.
The Princess has provided us with many unforgettable moments during her lifetime, including heartwarming personal stories, sarcastic one-liners, and, of course, some amazing athletic accomplishments.
Here are some of Princess Anne's best moments.
Participating in Trooping the Colour on horseback
Princess Anne often takes part in the yearly Trooping the Colour ceremonial on horseback, following in her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and never fails to seem like the self-assured rider she is.
The majority of the royal family rides in carriages to this significant annual event, and they remain in their carriages throughout the procession.
In contrast, Anne decides to focus on her equestrian abilities and frequently rides alongside the Household Division's royal colonels who participate in Trooping the Colour each year.
British Vogue cover to mark her 21st birthday
The Sept 1971 issue of British Vogue featured Princess Anne on the occasion of her 21st birthday and included a series of iconic photos taken by Norman Parkinson at Frogmore House.
— Helen Rosa (@HelenRosamond11) August 14, 2025
She will be 75 on Aug 15 🎂 🥂#PrincessAnneAt75 #PrincessAnne pic.twitter.com/fGstXlVoLl
Princess Anne appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 1971 to celebrate her 21st birthday, and in the September issue, which is widely regarded as the most significant and prestigious issue of the year.
Anne has already made two more appearances on the covers of British Vogue, so 1971 wouldn't be the last time she would be featured on the fashion bible.
Her third appearance was in November 1973, when she posed for gorgeous bridal-themed pictures to commemorate her marriage to Captain Mark Phillips. Her second appearance was in May 1973.
First female royal to attend school
When Anne was old enough, she enrolled in Benenden School in Kent, although her governess, Catherine Peebles, did homeschool her first. She earned two A-Levels and six O-Levels while attending the prestigious boarding school from 1963 to 1968.
Competing in the Olympics
In 1976, Princess Anne became the first royal to participate in the Olympic Games. She was a member of the British team and competed in the Eventing section of the Olympic Games in Montreal that year.
Halfway through the race, she had a concussion, which prevented her from winning a medal while riding the Queen's horse, Goodwill. But she somehow carried on and completed the event.
Standing up to a potential kidnapping
While driving down London's Mall towards Buckingham Palace, Princess Anne was almost kidnapped.
In 1974, a man named Ian Ball forced Anne's car to stop on The Mall and started shooting at the vehicle, as well as at her driver and security, in what is arguably one of the most serious security situations a member of the royal family has ever endured.
Mr Ball reportedly informed Anne that he planned to abduct her and demand a ransom of about £2 million, which he said he wished to donate to the NHS.
Anne spoke about the incident during an interview on Parkinson: “He said I had to go with him…I can’t remember why. I said I didn’t think I wanted to go. I was scrupulously polite, because I thought, silly to be too rude at that stage.
“We had a fairly low-key discussion about the fact that I wasn’t going to go anywhere, and wouldn’t it be much better if he just went away and we all forget about it?”
Mr Ball was captured by Detective Constable Peter Edmonds and luckily nobody was seriously hurt. Mr Ball, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia was sentenced to 41 years in the high-security mental hospital Broadmoor after being prosecuted for attempted murder and kidnapping.
The first royal to give birth at a hospital
When Princess Anne gave birth to her son, Peter Phillips, at the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in 1977, she became the first member of the British royal family to ever greet a baby outside of a royal house. Four years later, in 1981, she gave birth to her daughter Zara Tindall at the same hospital.
The reason for Anne's decision to give birth in a hospital rather than at home is unknown, but it's likely that she was just according to the new standards of the 1970s and 1980s, when giving birth in a hospital was far more usual than at home.
Teaching the Queen how to use Zoom
Princess Anne and Queen Elizabeth II's seemingly typical mother-daughter meeting during a Zoom chat was noteworthy.
Due to societal isolation, a lot of royal engagements in 2022 took place over Zoom during the pandemic.
During National Carers Week in July of that year, Anne participated in a video conversation with the Queen.
Distributed through the Anne: The Princess Royal documentary on ITV. Anne was was captured enquiring about what her mother can see on screen.
As the late Queen joins the call, Anne asks her mother, “Good morning at Windsor! Can you see everybody? You should have six people on your screen.”
The monarch herself then replies, “Yes, well I can see four anyway,” before Anne jokingly says, “Actually, you don’t need me, you know what I look like.”
Not passing the royal titles to her children
One of Princess Anne's most enduring memories is her refusal to pass royal titles onto her children, Peter and Zara Phillips.
Since Mark Phillips, Anne's husband and the father of her children, turned down an Earldom, it meant Zara and Peter would not have any titles.
Because of this, Anne's two children are not required to become working royals and are free to pursue independent occupations. Zara, for instance, is a skilled equestrian who has participated in the Olympics, while Peter is the executive director of SEL UK, a sports management firm.
