Thaindian News

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has begun talks with the Buckingham Palace about changing the 308 year old rules of succession to the throne, doing away with the bar on marrying Roman Catholics and discretionary primogeniture. If this were to happen then Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Anne, who is officially known as the Princess Royal, would come before her brothers Princes Andrew and Edward, and their children, in line to succession. She is currently the tenth in line to the throne but this could make her leapfrog to number four after the Prince of Wales, Charles and his two sons, Princes William and Harry.

The Princess Royal, whose full name is Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was third in line to the throne at the time of her birth in 1950. However with additions to the Royal Family she was pushed to number ten in the line of succession. She currently carries out approximately 700 royal engagements and public appearances a year.

Princess Anne is known for her charitable work and is the patron of over 200 organizations. She is also known for her horseback riding skills and is the only member of the Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games. She is currently married to Timothy Laurence and has two children from her last marriage with Mark Phillips. Her children were the first grandchildren of a ruling sovereign to have no titles. Anne was also the first Royal divorcee to remarry after Victoria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, did so in 1905. Neither of the Princess’ two husbands recieved any peerage.