By Katherine Tinsley
2:58pm PDT, Aug 15, 2025
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Princess Anne — who's become one of the hardest-working members of the royal family — turned 75 on Friday, August 15. According to lore,
Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip named their only daughter after a notorious member of the royal family…
Keep reading to find out who…MORE:
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Princess Anne — whose full name is Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise — is named in honor of her aunt, Queen Elizabeth II's sister Princess Margaret. According to William Shawcross' book The Queen Mother: The Official Biography, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother wanted to name her second daughter Anne before ultimately setting on Margaret — at the urging of her in-laws. "I am very anxious to call her Ann Margaret, as I think that Ann of York sounds pretty, and Elizabeth and Ann go so well together," the Queen Mother wrote to her mother-in-law, Queen Mary of Teck, according to Shawcross. "Lots of people have suggested Margaret, but it has no family links really on either side, and besides she will always be getting mixed up with Margaret the nurserymaid."
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William Shawcross claims that King George V and Mary of Teck "were not swayed" by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her husband, King George VI, and successfully persuaded them to go a different direction. "The Yorks reluctantly bowed to parental will and decided to call their daughter Margaret Rose instead of Margaret Ann," he wrote.
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Nameberry notes that Anne spelled with an e has Hebrew, French and English origins and means "grace."
Babycenter claims that the name also means "God has favored me."
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Despite snagging Princess Margaret's intended moniker, Princess Anne has built a royal legacy that's distinctly her own. According to records, the Princess Royal has attended the most official engagements of any senior member of the royal family — and it doesn't seem like the 75-year-old is thinking of slowing down anytime soon. "I don't think there's a retirement program on this particular life," the Princess Royal told the Press Association, according to the
BBC. "It really isn't written in, no. It isn't really an option, no, I don't think so," she added of potentially retiring from her royal duties one day.
