From love to hate: how the relationship between Prince Charles and Princess Anne went

childhood rivalry

Prince Charles and Princess Anne spent a lot of time together as children. With an age difference of only two years, they were particularly close. Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne when Charles and Anne were very young, and they often played together while their parents traveled or spent long hours at royal events. Despite the fact that they were very different from each other, Anna and Charles learned to get along.

Anna from an early age knew how to express herself. Former royal nanny Mabel Anderson recalled that Charles “was never as vocal as Princess Anne”, who was certainly “a much stronger and more outgoing person”.

Anderson claimed that from an early age, Charles was burdened with understanding his future as King of Britain. But Anna was much more playful and often broke the rules. There are quarrels in every family, Princess Anne even admitted that she and her brother fought like a cat with a dog!

Princess Anne and Prince Charles certainly had different expectations for life – one was heir to the British throne, the other a young girl in the 1950s. Princess Anne and Prince Charles spent a few years away apart, attending different boarding schools, and it set a surprising precedent for royal women.

Anne was one of the first women to be educated outside the palace – her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her aunt, Princess Margaret, were educated at home, but Anne had higher goals. While Charles attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland, Anna attended Benenden School in Kent.

Princess Anne admitted she understood she would always be second only to Prince Charles. Anna was considered thoughtless in relation to Prince Charles, as she forgot about gratitude and decorum. But she knew she would never be queen.

Anna has always played a supporting role in everything from a young age. Now Charles is the first to the throne and Anna is the 15th.

Camilla Parker-Bowles met her future husband, Prince Charles, through Princess Anne, but things weren’t as simple as it seems. Camilla and Charles discovered each other through Anna’s relationship with Andrew Parker-Bowles, after which their romance began.

Camilla and Charles met at a polo match in 1970 and Camilla said: “My great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress. I feel like we have something thing in common.” Yes, she was so brave! At the time Anne was involved with Andrew and Charles soon left for the Royal Navy. When he returned, it was all over: Camilla was engaged to Andrew, with whom Anna had previously broken up. And the prince was to marry Diana.

The divorces of brother and sister also took place almost simultaneously. Anna separated from her husband Mark Phillips in 1989. In 1992 they filed for divorce, which was absolutely unacceptable to the royal family. However, in the same year, the relationship between Prince Charles and Princess Diana deteriorated and they also officially broke up. Camilla divorced Andrew three years later, but their relationship has been breathing for a long time.

Brother and sister mostly agreed based on their love for horses. Charles has been an avid polo player since his teenage years. Due to injuries, he retired from the sport, but passed on his passion for horse riding to his sons.

Anna, meanwhile, has made a name for herself in the equestrian world. She started riding when she was 11 years old. She won gold at the 1971 European Championships and received numerous awards.

Anne and Charles shared their grief in April 2021 when their father, Prince Philip, died. “You know it will happen, but you are never ready,” Anna wrote in a statement. “I want more than anything to follow his example of a life well lived.”

Charles and Anna walked side by side during their father’s funeral procession. People noted that women don’t usually take part in a royal funeral procession, but Anne made it clear that she wanted to join her brother for a final tribute to his father.

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