Despite being at the forefront of the royal family, Princess Anne has done a remarkable job of keeping her personal life out of the spotlight – and her marriage to Sir Timothy Laurence is no exception.
While the pair are entrenched within the royal fold, their marriage is remarkably low-key, a sure-fire reason behind its longevity.
Scroll on for everything you need to know about the love of Princess Anne’s life and to read all bout her love story with Timothy Laurence.
Who was Princess Anne’s first husband?
Princess Anne met her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, in Mexico City at an event for equestrian enthusiasts. The couple married in May 1973.
An undying love eventually gave way to rocky marital relations between Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.
After the birth of their youngest child, Zara, in 1981, rumours began circulating that their marriage was on unsteady ground after they were rarely seen together, and both were thought to be involved in extramarital affairs.
After Captain Mark fathered a love child with New Zealand art teacher, Heather Tonkin, in 1985, the writing was on the wall that their marriage would end in divorce, and ultimately it did.
Captain Mark and Princess Anne separated in 1989 and were legally divorced in 1992.
Who is Princess Anne’s second husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence?
In December 1992, the same year as her divorce, Princess Anne married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Timothy was a commander in the Royal Navy at the time and had met Anne while serving on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
He was born in March 1955 in South London and was not married prior to marrying the Princess Royal.
Speaking on an ITV documentary in 2020 for Princess Anne’s 70th birthday, Sir Timothy spoke of her previous marriage.
“It’s quite amusing that she married first an army officer and then a naval officer. So there must be something about the military that attracts her.”
Why was Princess Anne allowed to remarry?
When Princess Anne married Sir Timothy Laurence, she made history as the second British royal ever to remarry after her distant relative King Henry VIII.
At the time, The Church of England forbade remarriage following divorce, but the more progressive Church of Scotland did not.
Given this, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence elected to marry in Scotland.
Do Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence have children?
Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, does not have any children.
He is, however, stepfather to Princess Anne’s children from her first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips: Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall (nee Phillips).
How did Princess Anne meet her husband?
Princess Anne met her second husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, in 1986 on the Royal Yacht Britannia, where the naval officer was serving as an equerry to Queen Elizabeth.
At the time, Princess Anne had quietly begun separating from her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips.
In the years that followed, the pair exchanged countless letters of a personal nature that in 1989 were leaked to the press. But it wasn’t until May 1992 that the pair made their public debut at the Royal Caledonian Ball.
In December of that same year, they married in an intimate Presbyterian church (Crathie Kirk to be exact) near Balmoral Castle. The wedding was attended by the Queen, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Prince Edward, as well as Anne’s then-teenage children, Peter and Zara Tindall (née Phillips).
Are Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence still together?
Yes, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence are still married after more than 30 years together.
Is Princess Anne’s husband a working royal?
Sir Timothy Laurence is not a working royal; he does, however, frequently support Princess Anne with her royal duties and is by her side at many official royal engagements.
Princess Anne is often touted as the “hardest working royal”, consistently topping the list with the scores of engagements she attends each and every year, her devoted husband always by her side.
While Sir Timothy prefers to remain in the background, he still represents The Crown, albeit in an informal manner that he is not officially recognised for.
How old was Princess Anne when she married?
Princess Anne married her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, when she was 22 and he was 25 in 1973.
She then married her second husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, in 1992 when she was 42 and he was 37.
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