Did Princess Anne serve in the military and what are her medals for?
6 May 2023, 10:09
King Charles's sister and Queen Elizabeth's only daughter is complete in her military uniform for Coronation Day, but did Princess Anne serve in the military? And what does her uniform mean?
Princess Anne will play a very important role on her older brother King Charles's Coronation Day as the 'Gold-Stick-In-Waiting' which will see her in full military uniform and leading the grand procession back to Buckingham Palace.
The Princess Royal will ride on horseback behind King Charles and Queen Camilla, who will be in the Gold State Carriage, and will lead 6,000 armed services back to the palace through the streets of London.
In for filling the role, Anne, aged 72, will be wearing her full military uniform along with her medals and badges.
Read more: King Charles military service and career: What medals does he have?
Read more: How much will King Charles's Coronation cost and who pays for it?
So did Princess Anne serve in the military? And what are her badges for? Here's her uniform and roles explained.
Did Princess Anne serve in the military? And what military uniform is she wearing?
Like many royals, Princess Anne didn't actually serve in the military but does hold a number of honours and titles.
The uniform she wears on royal occasions is a Royal Navy ceremonial uniform which represents her role in that division of the army.
In 1993, she was made Rear Admiral before being promoted in 2009 to Vice Admiral and then onto Admiral in 2012.
Later, in 2020, the Princess Royal was made a General in the British Army and an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
Anne actually holds many royal military titles across the commonwealth too including:
- Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy
- Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps
- Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport
Charles's sister is committed to her military causes and is often at engagements supporting these affiliations every year.
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What are Princess Anne's military medals for?
With such an extensive list of military titles behind her comes a whole collection of medals too.
Princess Anne's medals are for:
- Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
- Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
- Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
- Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
- Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
- Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
- Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
- Canadian Forces Decoration
- Order of St John Service Medal
- New Zealand 1990 Medal
