FALSEHOODS surrounding Princess Anne have mistakenly been issued by Buckingham Palace in celebration of the royal’s 75th birthday.
An article was published on the official royal website to mark King Charles’s sister’s special occasion on Friday.
The article has since been taken down[/caption]
Princess Anne’s two children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips[/caption]
Sir Timothy Laurence and the Princess Royal tied the knot in 1992[/caption]
It was headlined 75 facts about the Princess Royal, with a list of trivia that followed.
But number 14 revealed Princess Anne had two stepchildren from her second marriage to Sir Timothy Laurence, called Tom and Amy Laurence.
In reality, the Princess Royal was Sir Tim’s first wife when they tied the knot in 1992 – and he did not have any kids.
Meanwhile Anne has a son, Peter Phillips, and a daughter, Zara Tindall, with her first husband Mark Phillips.
Mark and Anne, who were married for 19 years, divorced the same year she wed Sir Tom.
The falsehood was taken down from the website shortly after royal fans were quick to point it out.
It’s not known exactly where the information came from, although the same error was published by Woman & Home magazine a few years ago.
There’s speculation whoever wrote the royal website article may have used AI, which found the info from this 2023 piece.
A palace source told the Daily Mail: “The facts were checked, and that one was a late addition, sourced from a reputable publication online, which unfortunately wasn’t put back through the checking process.
“There was no AI sourcing on our part.”
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, other facts published in the list ranged from the royal’s birth to memorable public engagements.
“Her Royal Highness was born Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise at Clarence House on 15 August 1950, VJ Day, at 11:50 am,” read one fact.
It was shared alongside a heartwarming photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth holding the royal baby.
Anne has made a staggering 562 overseas trips, visiting every continent[/caption]
Peter Phillips and his sister, Zara Phillips photographed in July 1988[/caption]
The article went on to explain how Princess Anne was a proud member of the first Buckingham Palace Company of Brownies and Guides.
It also highlighted her honourable charity work, with more than 400 organisations worldwide.
And, she has made a staggering 562 overseas trips, visiting every continent.
It has seen her become Colonel-in-Chief of more than 20 British and Commonwealth regiments.
Royal fans may have been intrigued to learn Princess Anne was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the President of Zambia in 1990.
The Princess was also the first in the Firm to appear on a TV quiz, BBC’s A Question of Sport.
And, the first to hold an HGV licence – seeing her get behind the wheel of a double-decker London bus and a police vehicle.
She was also the first member of the British Royal Family to compete in an Olympic Games, when she entered as part of the British Equestrian team at the 1976 Montreal Games, the list revealed.
Other facts included her being the Patron of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Sister to the king, she set to spend her birthday next month as she always does – sailing with her husband around Scotland for just ten days.
After this brief period she will return to her work as a senior member of the royal family.
This comes royal fans have also theorised hard-working Anne could now prove vital in Harry and Charles’ peace talks.
The Princess Royal is thought to have some useful advice to offer Harry on life as a “spare” in the Royal Family.
A source close to the Royal Family told The Times that Anne could offer some words of wisdom to her nephew.
The source said: “She often talked about how, as children, she was treated so differently from Charles.
“She was second to him and kicked further down the line of succession as a woman, but she forged her own path.
“In her twenties she was bolshy and upset about a lot of things, but she came through that.
“He should talk to her about her experiences. She is shrewd. She could tell him a lot about what she went through.”
Anne reportedly doesn’t plan to retire until her tenth decade, following in Prince Phillip’s footsteps.
A dutiful and hard working member of the Royal Family, Anne overcame an injury just last year and returned to her duties just a few weeks later.
The Princess Royal was admitted to intensive care last June with head injuries and a concussion after reportedly being kicked in the head by a horse at her Gatacombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
She was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for tests and treatment before returning to her duties that July.
Anne has been almost unstoppable for more than seven decades now, working nearly without pause.
She is reportedly notorious among her aides for resisting attempts to create downtime for her.
Shying away from attempts to celebrate her 75th birthday, Anne instead opted to celebrate more than 100 of the 400 charities she is a patron of.
The Princess Royal hosted more than 100 of her charities at a Buckingham Palace reception last month as part of her birthday celebrations.
Aside from the reception, Anne has accepted the issuing of a silver coin to commemorate the momentous occasion.
Released last week the coin features the Princess Royal’s face and the words “The Princess Royal. Celebrating 75 years. Duty and devotion.”
In other news Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips has announced his engagement to girlfriend Harriet Sperling.
Peter, 47, will marry Harriet, 45, after dating the NHS paediatric nurse for the past year.
The couple are yet to set a date for the wedding but have informed the King and Queen today of their engagement.
Your Princess Anne questions answered
- Who is Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence?
- Who are Princess Anne’s children?
- Inside Princess Anne sprawling 700-acre home
- Who plays Princess Anne in The Crown?
- Princess Anne kidnap attempt – what happened to the young royal in 1974?
Anne has been almost unstoppable for more than seven decades[/caption]
The Princess has worked with more than 400 charities worldwide[/caption]
