This week, the Earl and
Countess of Wessex were warmly greeted as they travelled to Gordonstoun
school in Scotland, where Edward and his older brothers all attended.
It isn’t their
sister Princess Anne’s alma mater, however, making her the only one
of the Queen and Prince Philip’s four children not to attend.
No doubt she would have loved
the institution’s beautiful setting in idyllic Morayshire, but she sadly
couldn’t go because girls weren’t yet allowed!
The school became
co-educational in 1972, which meant that the Princess Royal was later able to
send her two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, to Gordonstoun.
Anne’s early education was
looked after by her governess, Catherine Peebles, and she later boarded at
Benenden School between 1963 and 1968, leaving with six O-Levels and two
A-Levels.
She became a working royal in
1969, when she was 18 years old. She has since become known as one of the
hardest-working royals, packing in an impressive 20 engagements into
four days during her trip to Australia earlier this year.
Anne attended the Sydney Royal
Easter Show shortly after landing in Sydney in April and fans were appreciative
of the effort she made, as they shared photos from the event to social media.
One wrote: “It’s lovely
to see Princess Anne in Australia for the platinum jubilee. Such a huge asset
to the royal family,” while another commented: “Love this
hard-working woman.” Another supporter added: “Princess Anne does
such a good job representing HM.”
No doubt the Queen has
appreciated her daughter’s efforts, as Anne has stepped in while her
mother has struggled with her health, including a bout of
COVID-19 and some mobility difficulties and tiredness.
The Princess notched up 387
public appearances in 2021, stepping up as Her Majesty’s ill health reportedly
led her to cancel several public appearances.
