Anne The Private Princess Revealed

by Brian Hoey

A biography of the Princess Royal, telling the story of her life and work. The book includes the break-up of her first marriage to Mark Phillips, and a portrait of Tim Laurence, her second husband. The author has talked to the Princess's friends, such as Andrew Parker Bowles and Malcolm Wallace.

Genres: Biography, Royalty, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 1997

About the author

Brian Hoey is one of the united Kingdom's best informed royal chroniclers. He has written a wide variety of books on the royal family.

He was one of the BBC's first television newscasters and has been a writer and broadcaster for over 40 years at 2002.

He lives in South Wales with his wife and the couple have three grown-up children.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the author did his best, but I don't think he had a lot of material to work with here. Princess Anne is pretty notoriously private, but also, I think, fairly boring. And I mean that in a good way - she seems like a lady who shows up to get the job done, and done well, with a minimum amount of fuss or drama. It's hard to spin that into a very exciting read, but I enjoyed the book, nevertheless.

[Jeanne Hedge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne the Wonderful

Despite the author's introductory protestations, this is a PR piece. Anne works hard, Anne loves horses, Anne supports charities, Anne never forgets she's a Royal (and doesn't let you forget it either if you cross her). Nothing new there. It is beaten over your head that Anne and her husband (always referred to by full name) get along great with her ex-husband. I thought all the puffery got boring. I did find two topics particularly interesting though. One was the chapter about her attempted kidnapping, the other were the sections about the planning that goes into a Royal visit, however long it may be (the schedule for a visit to the Falklands is included). As this is an older book it takes some getting used to that the most current event in it happened 20 years ago (Diana is divorced but alive, and the author gets in a few shots there). That led to some amusement on my part to read throughout about Anne's relationship with buddy Andrew Parker-Bowles, while his then-wife Camilla is rarely referenced and not named. Add to that the author's thought that Charles might choose to reign as a single man supported by Anne... Makes me wonder just how much the author did know and how much he was covering up.

[Margaret H. Wessinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull reading!

This was a difficult read for me. I am fascinated by British Royalty. My ancestors are from Dorset. I was also named after Princess Margaret
Rose by my Grandmother. It was hard to keep a flow in the reading because of so much name- dropping and acronyms for titles. Also there was an excessive amount of skipping back and forth in time that caused a repetition of facts and events.

[lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey there! I really liked your storytelling style it feels vivid and emotionally grounded. While reading, I couldn’t help imagining some scenes as visuals.
I’m a commission-based comic & webtoon artist, and if you’re ever interested in a commissioned visual version, I’d love to talk.
📩 Discord & Instagram: lizziedoesitall

[Claire Englewood · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a tabloid trash book, with very little scandal to relate. Not well written, no real point of view, I truly hope Anne has a more meaningful life than portrayed here. Very little of her philanthropy is de scribed.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very matter fact read

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting time capsule of a particular moment in royal history. Anne: The Private Princess revealed was written after the divorce of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1996 but before Diana's death in 1997 and reflects the concerns of the time. There are some observations that are prescient - such as the comments about Zara Phillips's aptitude in equestrian sports long before she received a silver medal in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. There are other chapters that are now outdated - the author did not anticipate the marriage of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles and assumed that Anne would occupy an unofficial consort role in the next reign. The chapters about Anne's household and relationship with the press are quite interesting. More could have been included about her overseas tours.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two things are true about Brian Hoey's biography if the Princess Royal, 1) while she may be the hardest working Royal, she has the nastiest disposition and 2) Brian Hoey is so enamored of the RF he thinks even the minor ones are fabulous. Rich, yes, somewhat useless ( I'm thinking the Dukes of Kent & Gloucester). Believe me I adore Harry and the soap opera of Phil and Liz's brood is fascinating . I mean, you really can't write this stuff.

But back to Anne. She Saves the Children, but won't hold them, she grumbles about the Paps, but since August 1951 they have been there. Deal with it, plaster on a smile and show a little grace.

[Maryclaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after the death of the Queen. I noticed the Princess in a different image than I had of her. This book was written about 30 years ago and at the time of the book, the Prince of Whales and Princess were divorced. The Queen at that time thought that Princess Royal Anne would be the Consort for Prince Charles when the time came, because of her work ethic and knowledge of the monarchy. It is common knowledge that Princess Royal Anne is the hardest working Royal.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book very much. It gives a good insight into the life of the Princess Royal. Unfortunately, it was written in 1987: before the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, before the death of the Queen Mother, before the remarriage of Prince Charles and before the marriages of Prince William and Prince Harry. Therefore, much has changed for the royal family & for Princess Anne since then.

[Katy Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot! I have a huge interest in the royal family, so this was a great book to get to know one of the senior members. My only complaints are that you can definitely tell the bias against Princess Diana (at least I thought so) and I didn’t find it necessary for the play by play of a Royal tour schedule, a summary would’ve gotten the point across.

[Maria Colmenares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history about Anne of the house of Windsor

I learned a great deal about Anne and I agree she has to be the most interesting person of the English royal family along with her beloved mother, queen Elizabeth.

[kierra🎀 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely good if you want to learn about the lovely Princess Anne. The author did the best with what he had and it is definitely an informative book! (This book was written in 1997 so it is nearly 30 years outdated but still good)

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book about HRH The Princess Royal. This biography of the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip gives us a glimpse of the private and public side of one of the world's most respected royals. The book also gives us background info on the Princess's husbands. Good reading.