It may have not made the cut in The Crown Season 3 but Princess Anne’s wedding to Captain Mark Phillips, on 14 November 1973, was a pretty eventful date in the Royal Family’s history. The Queen’s only daughter was the first of the monarch’s four children to marry.
The couple met in Mexico City, at an event for horse riding enthusiasts and their engagement was announced in 1973, when the world first caught a glimpse of Princess Anne's Garrard sapphire and diamond ring. During their engagement interview, the couple were asked, ‘Do you think the marriage can withstand the enormous pressures of public duty and publicity that you have to endure?’ to which the Captain replied: ‘I think we’ve withstood a great deal already this year', before Anne snapped: ‘Can? It’s got to, hasn’t it?’
An estimated 500 million tuned in to watch the televised marriage at Westminster Cathedral, 50 years ago today, with thousands lining the streets on what was declared a national holiday. Although sadly, Princess Anne and Captain Phillips' relationship wasn’t to stand the test of time. After the birth of their two children; Peter Phillips, born in 1977 and Zara Phillips (now Tindall), born in 1981, the marriage broke down.
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In 1985, Phillips fathered a daughter, Felicity, as a result of an extramarital affair with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin. Phillips was confirmed as the father as a result of DNA testing during a paternity suit in 1991. However, long before the DNA testing confirmed Phillips’ infidelity, the couple had already announced their intention to separate. In August 1989, the palace issued a statement that revealed they were to part on ‘terms agreed between them.’
According to reports at the time, Princess Anne and Captain Phillips had rarely been seen in public together, and both were romantically linked with other people. While they hadn't initially planned on officially divorcing, they did so three years later, on 23 April 1992.
Princess Anne, of course, went on to marry Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence the same year of her divorce. Laurence, who was then a commander in the Royal Navy, met Anne while he was serving on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Their relationship developed at the start of her separation from Phillips and private letters between the two were published by The Sun in 1989.
They married in a small, private service with just 30 guests at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral on 12 December 1992. At the time, the Church of England didn’t allow divorced people to re-marry in its churches while their former spouse was still alive, so the couple were forced to choose Scotland as their location. Anne became the first royal divorcee to remarry since Victoria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, married Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia in 1905.
In an ITV show that was aired ahead of Princess Anne’s 70th birthday in August 2020 called Anne: The Princess Royal at 70 , Laurence spoke candidly about joining The Firm. He said: 'One of the great surprises for me, when I first went to Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor was that these places are full of laughter.’ He also said in the documentary, 'The similarities with her (Princess Anne's) father are much talked about, but what is less spoken about is the similarities with her mother, the Queen... the common theme is humour, fun.'
Sir Tim also revealed the similarities and differences he shares with his wife. 'We are both map and chart people. We like to know where we are and see where we are going,' he explained. 'We both follow, with great enthusiasm, the Scottish rugby team... as you may have noticed they don't always win.'
However, Sir Tim confessed: 'She grew up with horses, horses have been part of her life, it's not something I share with her. Sadly I've never been bitten by the horse bug.' Discussing Anne's first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips, Sir Tim also joked: '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.' The couple currently reside at Gatcombe Park, a 700-acre estate in Gloucestershire.
