Princess Anne is celebrating her 69th birthday on Thursday, and no doubt will be spoilt by her children and grandchildren. The Princess is one of the most down-to-earth members of the royal family, and is often seen running around after her four young granddaughters, walking her dogs in the countryside, and cheering on daughter Zara Tindall at horse trials. What's more, when Anne became a mum, she and Mark Phillips decided that they wanted their children to lead as normal lives as possible. As Anne was the only daughter of the Queen and Prince Philip, her children weren’t guaranteed a royal title – unlike the children of the monarch's male offspring. However, the Queen still offered courtesy titles to both Mark when he married Anne, and their children, which the Princess declined.
Princess Anne's children and grandchildren don't have royal titles
Rather than feeling excluded without a royal title, Zara often speaks out about the benefits her parents' decision gave her. The mum-of-two told HELLO! that she was able to be more creative than her cousin Prince William, who is second-in-line to the British throne after Prince Charles. "We were able to be more adventurous than say, William," Zara explained. The royal also told 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." As a result, Zara and her husband Mike Tindall decided to follow suit with their own children. Both Mia, five, and baby Lena don't have titles, and neither do their cousins, Savannah Phillips, eight, and Isla Phillips, six.
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Anne is a doting grandmother
The down-to-earth family have been pictured out a lot over the summer at horse events. At the beginning of the month, they all set out for a day at the Gatcombe Festival of Eventing in Gloucestershire, where Lena took her first public steps. The toddler was there with Zara and Mike and big sister Mia and they were also joined by Autumn and Peter, Savannah and Isla. Anne made sure to keep a dutiful eye on her grandchildren as they ran around the field.
READ: A close look at Princess Anne's special bond with dad Prince Philip
Zara made an appearance on House of Rugby alongside her husband Mike earlier in the year, where she gave a rare insight into her relationship with her family. During a discussion about their dream royal rugby team, presenter Alex Payne quizzed Zara and Mike about what kind of boss the monarch would be. The couple both said that she would hold a "quiet authority" and give a "couple of key bullet points, with a glance of an eye." Alex was curious to know if Zara had ever been subjected to a stern look from her grandmother, to which she answered: "I always get the good look." The mother-of-two added that she rarely got the "bad look" from the Queen. "We are okay. I think we are alright," she said. "Probably when we were much younger, but not recently, definitely not."
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