These Are Princess Anne's Two Children

Royal mothers have one of the most important jobs in the monarchy. How a royal child is raised has an enormous effect on how they will be as royal adults. As Vanity Fair explains, there are sometimes expectations of royal mothers to stay in line with tradition as they raise children with royal titles, though some have broken away from it a little bit. Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton are prime examples, as they both adjusted a few traditions to suit their child-rearing needs. Work-life balance is sometimes difficult for royal mother, which could lead to criticism of their parenting, though often through no fault of the mom. 

On the topic of royal mothers doing the difficult job of child-rearing, there is one popular monarch mommy that many people will know: Princess Anne. A mother of two, Princess Anne has spent a significant portion of her life parenting. As People explains, Princess Anne is the mother of Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, both of whom do not have royal titles; a conscious decision that she and her former husband, Captain Mark Phillips, made. But who are Princess Anne and her children? 

Princess Anne is the benevolent only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. As Britannica states, the Princess Royal was born on August 15, 1950, in London, England. As Queen Elizabeth II's daughter, she took up a serious interest in equestrian-based sports. A natural talent at horsemanship, she moved on to serious competitions, eventually winning a few championships and even participating in the Olympics. Princess Anne is also a philanthropist, supporting numerous charitable causes, such as Save the Children UK. She had a scare when she was involved in an attempted kidnapping in March 1974 as she was attacked by a lone gunman. 

Princess Anne eventually met Royal Navy officer Timothy Laurence in 1986. As People explains, Laurence was the queen's aide at the time when the two met through royal connections. The couple eventually married in 1992 after Anne divorced her first husband (and the father of her children), Captain Mark Phillips. Together, they co-parented with Phillips the Princess Royal's children. 

Princess Anne's children were raised with two father figures. As The Famous People states, Mark Phillips was married to Princess Anne from 1973 until their divorce in 1992. Phillips, like his ex-wife, is also a noted equestrian and also served a good bit of time in the royal military. He climbed through the ranks while serving duty, eventually achieving the rank of captain. Town & Country reports that the couple's marriage was not a happy one, plagued with public suspicion that they were each having affairs. In 1985, New Zealand resident, Heather Tonkin, gave birth to a child that was later proven that Phillips was the biological father. 

Timothy Laurence is Princess Anne's current husband and stepfather to both of her children. As Hello Magazine explains, Timothy Laurence served in the Royal Navy and eventually became vice-admiral of the fleet. He met Princess Anne while he was Queen Elizabeth's Equerry, which means a close aide, and the two married in 1992 following the Princess Royal's divorce from Mark Phillips. One thing Princess Anne and Laurence don't have in common is an interest in horses. Laurence told Brides, "She grew up with horses, horses have been part of her life, it's not something I share with her." Nevertheless, the couple remains happily married. 

Peter Phillips is Princess Anne's older child and only son. As Hello Magazine explains, his was born November 15, 1977 to Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. Peter is one of the more bombastic royals, despite not holding any royal title. Dr. Julian DeSilva, a British plastic surgeon, reported to Insider that, through the use of facial mapping techniques, Peter is the third most attractive royal. Hello Magazine states that, much like the rest of his family, Peter was athletically talented from an early age and excelled greatly in rugby, horse riding, and watersports. To this day, Peter maintains a close bond with Mark Phillips. 

Peter was married to Autumn Phillips from 2008 until the couple filed for divorce in 2021. Vanity Fair reports that recently, Peter and Lindsay Wallace — a friend of his sister, Zara Tindall — have been romantically linked. As various news outlets reported, the romance between the two seems apt to develop significantly in the future. 

Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, was born on May 15, 1981. As Hello Magazine explains, Zara was a student at Gordonstoun, a prestigious boarding school in Scotland. This education was soon followed by study at Exeter University, where she studied to become a physiotherapist. Much like her mother, Zara also took up a fervent interest in horsemanship from an early age. She received numerous achievements for her horse-riding skills, such as BBC's Sports Personality of the Year in 2006 and received a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. 

She married rugby player Mike Tindall in 2011 and the couple shares three children together. 

One very interesting aspect about Zara is that, like her older brother, she does not have a royal title. As the BBC explains, Zara's parents never opted to give their children royal titles. Zara told The Times in 2015: "I'm very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do."