Princess Anne's surprise 'realisation' after falling down 'the line of succession'
Princess Anne's children Zara and Peter were both offered royal titles but their parents Anne and Mark Philips reportedly turned them down in order for them to live a 'normal life'
A royal expert has suggested that Princess Anne may have viewed a royal title for her children as more of a burden than a benefit, following her descent in the line of succession.
Commentator Afua Hagan was responding to the fact that neither of Anne's children, Zara Tindall or Peter Phillips, hold royal titles. This decision was made by Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Philips, after their births.
Upon their marriage, Captain Mark was offered an earldom by Queen Elizabeth II, which he declined. Similarly, when Zara and Peter were born, they were reportedly offered titles, but both Mark and Anne, who were married from 1973 to 1992, also refused them, reports the Mirror.
Discussing why they might have made this choice, Afua commented in a new Channel 5 documentary: "Princess Anne, on seeing herself slip down the line of succession probably realised that a royal title would be a hindrance rather than a help."
The narrator of the documentary, titled 'Mike: The Royal and The Rugby Player', added: "Both Zara and her older brother Peter were also offered royal titles.
"However, Princess Anne and Captain Philips decided to turn them down in the hope they would live a more normal life."
In a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair about the decision, Anne maintained her stance. She stated: "I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles... So I think that was probably the right thing to do."
Zara and Mike Tindall have been a united front since tying the knot in 2011, eight years after their initial meeting at the 2003 Men's Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Their public presence has grown significantly over the years, particularly following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the cancer diagnoses of King Charles and Princess Kate.
As their visibility has increased, so too has their openness about life within the Royal Family and the question of whether they would accept a Royal title.
Mike, speaking to Closer Magazine at a charity event, made it clear that a royal title isn't something he'd be keen to add to his CV, stating: "I would definitely turn that down."
Zara shares this sentiment, as she revealed on the Seven: Rob Burrow, The Total Sport Podcast: "From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn't give us any titles so I really commend her on that. We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.
"My family has a great work ethic as well which I'm hoping they instilled in me and is still going to this day. Hopefully, we can pass it onto our kids.
"Now, my brother and my cousins love to go back and do the same things and I hope that our children have the same experiences that we did when we were growing up. You don't really appreciate that until you're older and you've got kids."
Zara and Mike: The Royal and the Rugby Player is set to broadcast on Saturday (September 13) at 10pm, exclusively on Channel 5.