We often assume that being part of the royal family means having a royal title — but that’s not always the case.
Take Princess Anne’s children, for example. Despite being the niece and nephew of King Charles III, neither Peter Phillips nor Zara Tindall holds a royal title.
This is quite different from their cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson — who both carry royal titles.
The reason behind this difference comes down to a long-standing royal tradition.
Under this tradition, royal titles are passed down through the male line. In other words, only the father can pass on a title to his children.
Since Princess Anne is Zara and Peter’s mother, and titles can’t be inherited through the maternal line, her children weren’t entitled to royal titles.
Their father, Captain Mark Phillips, also doesn’t hold a royal title. In fact, he turned down an earldom that was offered to him, which means Peter and Zara were born without any titles.
While Queen Elizabeth II could have granted them HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) status, both Anne and Mark chose not to accept the offer for their children.
“I think most people would agree that having titles comes with its own set of drawbacks… So in that sense, I think it was probably the right decision,” Anne said in an interview with Vanity Fair back in 2020.
Zara has also shared her thoughts about not having a royal title, saying she actually felt ‘lucky’ not to be a princess.
Speaking on the Seven: Rob Burrow podcast in 2023, she said: “From where I stand, I feel really fortunate that my mother chose not to give us any titles, and I truly admire her for that.
“We were lucky to have the chance to do things a bit more on our own terms.”
At a London Sporting Club lunch last week, the 43-year-old also hinted at some underlying tensions within the royal family during her speech.
According to The Sun, Zara said: “It is very hard to see from the outside, but 100 percent, it is a family that is still going through the same struggles other people do.”
Although Zara and Mike Tindall were once known for having a close bond with Prince Harry, Sky News Australia recently claimed that the couple has since distanced themselves from him — reportedly due to what they saw as a “betrayal” of King Charles following Harry’s public criticism of the royal family.
Still, it’s unclear whether the rift between the cousins is truly ongoing behind closed doors.
While attending an event this week, Zara, an Olympic silver medallist in equestrian, pointed out that her family continues to share deep affection.
“Whether they are relationships, obviously, it is very easy to see every day,” she said. “We’re still very supportive of each other.”