Princess Anne Turns 76 Today
Photo: The Royal Household
Princess Anne celebrates her 76th birthday today, but do not expect balloons and fanfare. The Princess Royal has her own birthday rule: only the round numbers get a proper celebration.
Princess Anne turns 76 today, but anyone expecting balloons, cake and a big party from the royal family will be waiting in vain. That is entirely by the Princess's own choice: she follows a self-imposed birthday rule that only the milestones get a proper celebration.
Princess Anne, here in great spirits at a rugby international in Scotland, turns 76 on August 15. Photo: The Royal Household
Royal expert Roya Nikkhah described the rule on the podcast "Royals with Roya and Kate": "Anne's policy is: I will do things for my birthdays that have a zero, but I won't do things for my birthdays that have a five." Last year, ahead of her 75th, the Princess reportedly even cancelled meetings to avoid discussions about how the day should be celebrated.
Today's birthday will therefore be a quiet affair, which the Princess is expected to spend with her family. In previous years she has often used the day to honour organisations she has supported for decades.
Her last big milestone, her 70th in 2020, was spoiled by the Covid pandemic. Anne was due to be celebrated by her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, at Buckingham Palace. Instead, it became a sailing trip along the west coast of Scotland with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and a private lunch with the Queen at Frogmore House.
The next round number is her 80th in 2030, and according to Nikkhah the Princess has told her team that she will then begin winding down: "I'm going to start winding down a little bit at 80, and then I want to step back completely at 90." She is thus following in the footsteps of her father, Prince Philip, who retired from official duties at the age of 96.