Princess Anne's famous love of horses began in childhood and has continued throughout her life. Now aged 70, she is the first British Royal to have competed in the Olympic Games.
The Princess Royal's equestrian career has recently been depicted in the popular Netflix drama series, The Crown. The historical drama centres on the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her marriage to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947.
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Their daughter Princess Anne (played by actress Erin Doherty) is shown competing at the Badminton Horse Trials in one episode. Her showjumping skills were legendary as a young woman and in 1971, at the age of just 21, she was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
First televised in 2016, The Crown has proved fascinating for younger Royal fans, many of whom were unaware of Princess Anne's amazing riding skills.
First pony
Introduced to the equine world by her parents, who were both keen horse fanatics, Princess Anne started riding at the age of 11, according to her biography, Anne: The Princess Royal.
As fourth in line for the throne, Anne decided to do something for herself, outside the royal family. In an interview in May 2020 with the magazine, Vanity Fair, the princess said she felt horse riding was the best way of achieving a career of her own.
Her first pony was William, although she had to share him with her older brother, Charles. She took riding lessons at Smith Stables in Holyport and became proficient at a young age.
Career highlights
She won her first major event, the European Eventing Championship's individual title, at the age of 21, which lead to her being voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
First husband, Mark Phillips, a lieutenant in the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, shared the princess's love of horses and they were both members of the British Equestrian team in 1972. Princess Anne competed for more than five years, winning a silver medal in the individual and team events at the 1975 European Eventing Championship.
A naturally talented horsewoman, she showed off her showjumping skills at many events, usually watched by the Queen and Prince Philip.
Life in the limelight
Her most successful partnership was with Doublet, a thoroughbred cross gelding given to the Princess Royal by Queen Elizabeth. Together, they won the gold medal at the European three-day eventing championship, in Burghley, on 4th September 1971. They finished fifth at the Badminton Horse Trials, also in 1971.
A first for a member of the Royal Family, Princess Anne took part in the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 as a member of Team GB, riding the Queen's horse, Goodwill, after Doublet sadly passed away.
From 1986 until 1994, she was president of the Fédération Équestre Internationale - the international governing body of equestrian sports.
The princess's showjumping career also led to her becoming the first member of the royal family to appear on a TV quiz-show as a contestant. She broke with royal tradition when she competed on the BBC game show, A Question of Sport, on 5th February 1987. Her down-to-earth manner soon put her fellow contestants, including team captain Emlyn Hughes, at their ease.
Charity work
Princess Anne is known for her high-profile charity work and has been patron of more than 300 organisations, including equine charities. Others support better health and transport in developing countries, and children's wellbeing and educational charities.
Currently president of World Horse Welfare, she personally opened the charity's new horse welfare visitor centre at Penny Farm, in Blackpool, Lancashire. She often carries out more royal engagements per year than any other royal and has devoted her life to public service since the age of 18 - the princess has carried out more than 20,000 public engagements and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 by the President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, for her humanitarian work.
Horse-breeding
Her true passion is horses, and she devotes her life to her equine friends outside the public eye.
Now married to second husband, Timothy Laurence, since December 1992, she has retired from showjumping, although she still rides as often as possible and breeds horses at their 730-acre Gloucester estate. She has passed on her love for all things equine to her grandchildren, Mia Grace, Savannah, Isla and Lena Elizabeth.
She has also personally adopted a horse in need from World Horse Welfare - the Welsh cob mare, named Annie, was chosen by Princess Anne from the long list of abandoned and mistreated horses that the charity has rescued. As well as giving Annie a wonderful new home, the princess has highlighted the charity's valuable work, actively encouraging more horse-lovers to follow her lead.