The emotional significance of Princess Anne’s recent appearance – and how it represents one of her earliest signs of independence

Princess Anne paid a visit to her former school this week to celebrate its centenary. The Princess Royal’s visit might have held a special significance, as deciding to leave the palace to go to a regular school was one of the first independent decisions she made as a young girl – and it set in motion the future of the hard-working, no-nonsense royal we’ve come to respect.

• Princess Anne visited her former school, Benenden School, in Kent this week
• She was the first princess to ever leave the palace to attend school with other children – and it was arguably one of the first steps in the Princess Royal paving her own independent path
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton broke royal protocol this week twice and nobody noticed – is this a sign of a more relaxed monarchy?

The Princess Royal paid a visit to her former school in Kent to mark its centenary earlier this week.

Princess Anne started as a pupil at Benenden School in 1963 and has returned for various appearances throughout the years – suggesting the school holds a special place in her heart.

During her visit on Thursday, she spoke to sixth formers from 60 different schools about inspiring female leaders. The school's current head teacher Samantha Price said the princess was “a great role model” for pupils.

But the school might have meant a lot to the Princess Royal, too. She was the first princess to opt to go to a normal school, breaking years of tradition.

Choosing to go to the school was a departure from the usual for royal children, who typically were educated at the palace by private tutors before being old enough to go off to boarding schools or university.

Anne was so nervous on her first day that she was sick on the way, according to Channel 4's 2002 documentary The Real Princess Anne.

A former schoolmate told the documentary, “I do remember we were all extremely excited about her arrival. Everyone I knew said: ‘What's she like? What’s she like?’ you know.”

“And I said, ‘She’s just like one of us.’”

Anne had been educated by her governess, Catherine Peebles, up to that point – first with her older brother Charles and then, after he went to boarding school, on her own.

Another royal expert said in a different documentary, Channel 5’s Princess Anne: the Daughter Who Should be Queen, royal expert Katie Nicholl explained, “I think growing up as a young girl, Anne did have quite a different childhood to previous royal children. Initially, she was homeschooled… But she was desperate to go to school and she wanted to get out and discover life beyond the palace walls.”

This, of course, has become something of a pattern of the Princess Royal ever since.

She’s long been regarded as the hardest working royal – wracking up more appearances than royals decades younger than her even still – and she is beloved for her no-nonsense approach, with a throwback video revealing her humble plans for if she wasn't a royal. 

From her sharp attitude to the press to being “ahead of her time” with her fashion boldness and later becoming the first royal to compete in the Olympics, Princess Anne has never followed the easy path.