The British royal family is associated with a life of luxury at Buckingham Palace, but Princess Anne lives on a working farm in the Cotswolds. In an unearthed interview with Countryfile from 2009, Anne made a rare comment about the running costs she is responsible for, despite being gifted the property by Queen Elizabeth upon her marriage to her now-ex-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, in 1976.
King Charles‘ sister said in 2014: “This is not something that comes free, this has got to pay its way, otherwise I can’t stay here.” Part of running the farm herself has involved earning a (rather unexpected) HGV licence. According to The Times, Anne has held the licence since turning 24 in 1974.
Anne’s farming skill
In a 1985 BBC interview with Terry Wogan, Anne revealed her unusual skill: “Out of necessity, I qualified as a heavy goods vehicle driver, on the basis that if one didn’t have a farm to work on or there was no other alternative, both my husband and I have heavy goods vehicle licenses.”
© GettyShe added: “His is an HGV one, and mine is an HGV three, so it seemed like a very logical way of earning one’s living. There is, in fact, quite a demand for good horse box drivers; we know one end of a horse from another, we thought we could probably crack that one between us.”
Princess Anne’s concern at Gatcombe Park home
Anne rears several animals on her 700-acre estate, including Wiltshire Horn sheep, Gloucester Old Spot pigs, Highland cattle, and horses, which she rides. However, her priority with the farm, which hosts the Festival of British Eventing public event each year, is holding onto its organic status, meaning the site adheres to strict regulations around the prohibition of synthetic pesticides and the like.
© UK Press via Getty Images“I do worry that one day we’ll be told that we can’t have organic status anymore,” Anne told Country Life in 2009. “Even picking up people’s hay and other rubbish from their (horse) lorries could threaten our organic status. And having the great British public tramping around is hardly organic.”
Inside Anne’s private residence
As for Anne’s personal residence, the royal resides at Gatcombe House, which features five bedrooms, as well as four secondary bedrooms, four reception rooms, a library, a billiard room and a conservatory.
© GettyThe estate is a family affair as Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, son-in-law Mike Tindall and three grandchildren, Mia Tindall, 12, Lena Tindall, seven, and Lucas Tindall, four, also live there. The family of five reside at Aston Farm in a converted farmhouse.
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