Princess Anne: The Frugal, Hard-Working, Tough-as-Nails Royal

Princess Anne, the second of four children born to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, turns 68 today.

Her official title, Princess Royal, is only given to the eldest daughter of a monarch, and it must be awarded.

In other words, it's not a guarantee.

Here are five things you need to know about the frugal, hard-working, tough-as-nails royal.

1.

She's low maintenance.

Despite being a princess, Anne's life has never been about tiaras and glamour.

In fact, her father once said, “If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested.”

Anne is most comfortable outdoors, as an experienced equestrian, and hosts the Festival of British Eventing on the grounds of her home, Gatcombe Park.

Every year, she's relaxed when it comes to wardrobe too.

In 2015 and 2018, Anne wore a 35-year-old blouse and coat outfit to Royal Ascot that she was previously seen wearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace all the way back in 1980.

2.

The Queen gave her a special title.

Her mother gave Anne the title of Princess Royal in 1987.

Only one living woman can be called the Princess Royal, which is why Queen Elizabeth never had the title herself.

Her aunt, Princess Mary, possessed the title until her death in 1965.

Anne's children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, however, don't have titles.

This was a deliberate choice made by Anne and her first husband, Mark Phillips.

Though the Queen offered Mark an earldom, per royal tradition, when he and Anne married in 1973, he turned it down.

That meant that Zara and Peter didn't get titles either, something that they've both expressed gratitude for as adults.

Who is next in line to be Princess Royal?

Well, that's up to the monarch.

But as Prince Charles has no daughters, the next potential Princess Royal is two-year-old Princess Charlotte.

3.

She was nearly kidnapped at age 23.

Less than a year after her wedding to Mark Phillips, Anne was the subject of a kidnapping attempt from her car in the center of London on her way to Buckingham Palace.

Ian Ball, a man from North London, forced Anne's car to pull over.

Her bodyguard left the car to meet Ball, not thinking he had any ill intentions.

But Ball was holding two handguns and shot him.

At one point, Ball was able to grab a hold of Anne's arm, while her husband held her waist in an attempt to keep her in the car.

In a rather fierce move, Anne responded, “Not bloody likely,” to one of Ball's pleas to get out of the car.

Eventually, police arrived on the scene, and an observer named Ronald Russell, a former boxer, was able to approach Ball, hitting him on the back of the head, which allowed Anne to leave the car, distracting Ball.

So Russell hit him in the face, allowing more police officers the chance to approach the scene.

Ball ran off, but a police officer caught him on the run through St James's Park and made an arrest.

Later, a ransom note, demanding £2 million in the form of £5 notes, as well as handcuffs and valium were found in the back of Ball's car.

He was eventually sentenced to life in a mental health hospital.

4.

She's an Olympic athlete.

The long-time equestrian competed professionally in her early 20s.

She won a title at the European Eventing Championship in 1971, and competed on the team for four or five more years following.

She was even voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

In 1976, she competed at the Olympics in Montreal, riding Goodwill, one of the Queen's horses.

Her daughter Zara followed in her footsteps, competing in the 2012 London Olympics, where she won a silver medal for team eventing, like William and Charles, and is a regimental colonel in the British Army and therefore rides on horseback in the annual Trooping the Colour parade to honor the Queen's birthday.

5.

She's one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family.

Every year, Anne is neck and neck with her older brother Prince Charles for the accolade of busiest royal.

In 2016, she was the second most active royal, with 509 official engagements, but in 2015, she was the most active, with 544 events on her calendar.

To put that number in perspective, Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince Harry carried out 292 events combined in 2015.

In conclusion, Princess Anne has had an eventful seven decades.

From her Olympic equestrian career to a harrowing kidnapping attempt, she has proven to be a frugal, hard-working, tough-as-nails royal.

Despite being a princess, Anne's life has never been about tiaras and glamour.