How The Birth Of Princess Anne's Children Broke Royal Tradition
As the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne has had to follow in some pretty major footsteps. But thanks to her headstrong, independent attitude towards life, the second eldest child of the Queen and Prince Philip has paved her way in the monarchy without issue. But that's not to say that she didn't struggle with the title bestowed upon her since birth.
In a documentary for the BBC in 2018, Princess Anne spoke about how she and Charles "loathed" having to go on public engagements. "We hated them, can you imagine as teenagers?" she said (via Hello!). "Hardly the sort of thing you would volunteer to do." Even though she said it got easier as they became more experienced, she noted how difficult it can be for anyone to "enjoy walking into a room full of people you've never met before," adding that "not many youngsters would volunteer to do that" today.
Princess Anne has broken multiple royal traditions
While Princess Anne obviously stuck to that royal tradition — despite how much she "loathed" it — there was one tradition she decided to change once she began having children of her own. Unlike Queen Elizabeth and their royal ancestors, Princess Anne chose to have her son Peter and daughter Zara in hospital rather than within a royal residence, per The Guardian.
When she herself was born, Queen Elizabeth gave birth to Anne in Clarence House (via Metro). But Anne decided to change the narrative and had both her children at St Mary's Hospital Lido Wing, Town & Country reported. If that hospital sounds familiar, that's because Princess Diana and Kate Middleton followed in Princess Anne's footsteps and decided to have their children there as well.
Furthermore, Princess Anne decided to part ways with another royal tradition and chose not to give her children royal titles. Speaking to Vanity Fair, the royal said it "was probably the right thing to do" as it would be "easier for them" not to live up to the standard of a title. "I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles," Anne said.