Why Queen Elizabeth Didn’t Give Birth To Princess Anne At Buckingham Palace

Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward at the Buckingham Palace but she opted not to give birth to Princess Anne at Clarence House.

At the time of Princess Anne’s birth in 1950, Buckingham Palace was undergoing renovations following the aftermath of World War II. Prince Philip and the Queen moved out of Buckingham Palace and transferred to Clarence House in 1949, and they lived in the latter until 1953.

During its history, Clarence House has been altered to reflect the changes in occupancy over nearly two centuries. The property was once called home by the Queen Mother between 1953 and 2002. It also became the home of Her Majesty and Prince Philip after they tied the knot.

At present, Clarence House is the official residence of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Meanwhile, the monarch also broke a royal tradition during the birth of Prince Charles several years ago. Royal historian Kate Williams told Channel 5 News that Her Majesty opted to not have a senior politician standing outside the room as a witness to the birth of her eldest son. After the Queen broke royal protocol, her dad, King George VI, decided to put an end to the rule.

“The Queen, for example, when she gave birth, she gave birth at Buckingham Palace, a home birth, a caesarian section. But essentially what was important was the fact that until then, it was going to be witnessed, not in the room but outside, by prime ministers, by home secretaries,” she said.

Williams’ revelation came just days after it was revealed that Markle snubbed the Queen by not hiring her doctors for the birth of Baby Sussex. The royal historian pointed out that Markle is not the first royal to break tradition when it comes to births.

“So there are lots of royal women who have not even broken tradition but made their own choices throughout history as to exactly what they want. The Queen herself was born not in a royal palace but in her mother’s parents’ house in London and that was the decision of the Queen Mother,” Williams said.