Princess Anne has long been considered one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family, and even though she gives off a tough exterior at royal events, she does have a softer side. The Princess Royal has five grandkids between her children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, and now that Peter has married Harriet Sperling, Anne has added Sperling’s 13-year-old daughter, Georgina, to the crew. Although it’s sometimes hard to find time in her busy royal schedule, her children say that Princess Anne is just like any other grandma.
Peter and Zara opened up about their mother in an ITV documentary released for the Princess Royal’s 70th birthday, sharing some rare comments about her life as a grandmother.
“She loves seeing them ride; she loves having them round for Sunday lunches and taking them for walks, doing all the things that we would do as kids,” the siblings said (via Hello!). “We quite like leaving them on Sundays. We’ll say: ‘We’ll pick them up later – bye!’”
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Princess Anne gives a kiss to Zara and Mike Tindall’s daughter, Mia.
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Anne attends the Gatcombe Park Horse Trials with son Peter Phillips and granddaughter Isla Phillips in 2013.
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The Princess Royal and her grandkids often cheer on Zara during her equestrian events.
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Prince Philip is said to have treated his only daughter like another son, and Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, told Hello! that the Princess Royal “has a very masculine energy but definitely has a soft side, like Prince Philip did, and she is very proud of Peter and Zara.”
She’s showed off this softer side at events like the Gatcombe Horse Trials, which used to be held on her private estate every year before its 2024 cancellation. Olympic equestrian Anne has passed her love of riding down to fellow Olympian Zara, and the family has bonded while attending various competitions.
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“She’s always refused to be photographed kissing babies in public, but she’s different with her own grandchildren and she obviously adores them,” Seward said.