Princess Anne, the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, is preparing to mark her 75th birthday on Friday, 15 August.
Despite the milestone, the Princess Royal has a very particular rule when it comes to birthday celebrations — and it’s one she’s followed for years.
Roya Nikkhah, royal correspondent for the Sunday Times, revealed that Anne takes a “no-frills” approach to marking her special day. The rule is simple: she only celebrates birthdays ending in a zero.
“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’,” Nikkhah explained.
Avoiding the Spotlight
In the lead-up to her 75th, Anne reportedly cancelled meetings to avoid conversations about how she might celebrate. Her last major birthday event, planned for 2020, was called off due to the pandemic. According to Nikkhah, her next big celebration will be for her 80th in 2030.
The royal expert added that Anne has already outlined how she intends to spend the years ahead: “I was told that she’s told her team: ‘I’m going to start winding down a little bit at 80, in five years’ time, and then I want to step back completely at 90’.”
Following in Prince Philip’s Footsteps
This timeline mirrors that of her late father, Prince Philip, who fully retired from public duties at 96. Nikkhah noted: “I thought the timeline was interesting – that she’s looking at her father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who stepped back from public life completely at 96.”
For now, however, her busy schedule shows no sign of slowing.
Buckingham Palace’s Birthday Blunder
Earlier today, Buckingham Palace tried to join in the birthday celebrations by sharing a list of 75 facts about the Princess Royal. But fact number 14 caused confusion after it incorrectly claimed Anne has two stepchildren — Tom and Amy Laurence — from her marriage to Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
The claim was wrong, and the Palace quickly removed the page from its website. However, the outdated link still appears in Google search results.