Princess Anne is the mother of Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, whom she shares with her former husband, Captain Mark Phillips. She is also a grandmother to five: Peter’s daughters, Savannah, 13, and Isla, 12, and Zara’s children, Mia, 10, Lena, 6, and Lucas, 3.
In a documentary, Peter spoke about his mother as a grandmother, saying, “She loves watching them ride, having them over for Sunday lunches, and taking them for walks—doing all the things we did as kids.”
Zara jokingly added, “We quite like leaving them on Sundays. We’ll say, ‘We’ll pick them up later, bye.'”
Anne has often been seen enjoying time with her young grandchildren at the Festival of British Eventing, an annual event that used to be held on her estate.
Despite being the late Queen’s eldest grandchildren, Peter and Zara were not given royal titles at birth, a decision made by Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.
Peter, who is head of partner acquisition for the sports and entertainment rights agency CSM Sport & Entertainment, explained in the documentary, “We were always raised with the understanding that we would have to work and earn our living, regardless of who our grandmother or mother was.”
Zara, an Olympic equestrian, added, “I think it made us fight harder to be as successful as we could be. So, we’re very grateful she didn’t give us titles.”
Anne reflected on her decision in the program, stating, “As a member of the royal family, living with that sort of pressure and the expectations that come with it is hard.
“That might have been part of the reasoning, that it might be less difficult for them. But, understanding their place within the family and what happens next, it made much more sense.”
