HRH The Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was born at Clarence House, London, on the 15th August 1950, the only daughter of HRH The Princess Elizabeth (now HM Queen Elizabeth II) and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Princess Anne was declared Princess Royal on 13th June 1987. She was made a Lady of the Order of the Garter in 1994. In August 1974 she was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, to mark her personal bravery when confronted by an armed kidnapper. She is a Dame of Justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, and is a Companion of the Queen's Service Order.
She received the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Family Order 23rd April 1969. The Princess Royal has received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977, the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, and the Canadian Forces Decoration.
Princess Anne was nominated BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1971, Sports Writers' Association Sportswoman of the Year 1971, received the Variety Clubs' International Humanitarian Award 1987, and the Raleigh Trophy in 1971.
As a horsewoman she won silver medals as an individual and as member of the British team at the European Three-Day Championships in 1975. She also took part in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and has competed in horse-racing events, both on the flat and over jumps. The Princess is a Royal Fellow of the Royal Society.
The Princess Royal holds a number of appointments in the British and Commonwealth Armed Services:
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (Colonel In Chief until 28 March 2006; subsequently Royal Colonel)
8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) (Colonel In Chief)
The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) (Colonel)
Canadian Forces Communications and Electronics Branch (Colonel In Chief)
Canadian Forces Medical Branch (Colonel-In-Chief)
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (Commandant In Chief)
The Grey and Simcoe Foresters (Colonel In Chief)
HMS Albion (Sponsor)
HMS Talent (Sponsor)
The King's Royal Hussars (Colonel In Chief)
The Queen's Gurkha Signals and The Gurkha Transport Regiment (Affiliated Colonel-In-Chief)
Royal Air Force Lyneham (Honorary Air Commodore)
The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (Colonel-In-Chief)
Royal Australian Corps of Signals (Colonel In Chief)
Royal Corps of Signals (Colonel In Chief)
The Royal Logistic Corps (Colonel In Chief)
Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals (Colonel In Chief)
Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps (Colonel In Chief)
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment (Colonel In Chief)
The Royal Regina Rifles (Colonel In Chief)
Women in the Royal Navy (Chief Commandant)
The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) (Colonel In Chief until merging into the Mercian Regiment in August 2007)
