The Queen’s historic reign has been filled with milestones that tell the story of her rule. Many are linked to state and constitution but even the most personal of celebrations has an importance of its own for Britain’s longest ruling Monarch.
On November 15th 1977, The Queen became a grandmother for the first time when her only daughter, Princess Anne, gave birth to a son at a London hospital. The little boy was fifth in line to the throne and his safe delivery led to a 41 gun salute at the Tower of London.
For the arrival of this new baby wasn’t just a moment of great rejoicing for the family. The birth of the first child of Anne and Captain Mark Phillips also guaranteed the succession. Although their little boy was unlikely to rule, his arrival meant that the dynasty of Elizabeth II stretched into a new generation. The throne that had fallen unexpectedly to her branch of the Royal Family would remain with it into a new century. The new baby also brought a happy family ending to the year in which Elizabeth II had celebrated her Silver Jubilee.
The Queen quickly showed herself to be a doting grandmother. When Peter Mark Andrew Phillips was christened at Buckingham Palace, on December 22nd 1977, she comforted him as he began to cry and showered motherly support on Anne as she tried to soothe her little boy.
Peter Phillips also made history in another way. He was the first legitimate grandchild of a Monarch in centuries not to have a title. That decision, ultimately made by his parents, meant that as he moved further away from the throne in the years that followed, he was able to pursue his own interests and career more independently.
