- Married twice, Princess Anne’s husbands were Captain Mark Phillips and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, both of whom had military backgrounds
- She got married to her first husband, Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973, and he second husband, on December 12, 1992, 7 months after her divorce
- The Princess has two children from her first marriage, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips Tindall
Following the same fate as all her siblings except Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Princess Anne saw her first marriage end in divorce. Consequent to this, the princess was married twice to Mark Phillips, a retired army captain, and Timothy Laurence, a retired navy vice admiral. She got a divorce from her first husband on April 23, 1992, and married her second on December 12, 1992, 7 months later.
Princess Anne is the only daughter of the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and sister of the newly installed king of England, King Charles III. She is not the first member of the British Royal Family to get married to more than one spouse.
Meet Princess Anne’s Husbands
Mark Philips
Mark Anthony Peter Phillips is the first of Princess Anne’s Husbands. He was born on September 22, 1948, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England. Mark is the son of a major of the British Army, Major Peter William Garside Phillips, and his wife, Anne Patricia Phillips.
He attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. In 1969, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, after his graduation, and then a Lieutenant 2 years later.
In 1968, The young lieutenant met Princess Anne at a party in Mexico City. They were soon to discover they had one thing in common; they were both established equestrians. They began dating shortly afterward.
On May 29, 1973, Captain Philips proposed to the princess with a sapphire and diamond ring, and 6 months later, they got married.
Their wedding took place at the Westminister Abbey. Princess Anne was dressed in a high-necked gown with long trumpet sleeves and wore the same tiara her mother, the Queen wore at her wedding in 1947.
Captain Phillip retired from the army in 1978 before the couple welcomed their first child, Peter Phillips in 1977, and later Zara Phillips in 1981.
Sadly, their marriage experienced a nosedive in 1989, after it was discovered that Captain Phillips had a child, Felicity Tonkin as a result of an extramarital affair he had with art teacher, Heather Tonkin, in 1985. In 1992, the couple parted ways as their divorce was finalized.
What Happened To Captain Phillip After his Divorce from Princess Anne?
Captain Mark Phillips married his second wife, Sandra Pflueger, an American Olympic dressage rider, on February 1, 1997. They welcomed their first child, Stephanie, on October 2, 1997.
Stephanie and her older sister, Zara, seemed to have a good relationship. She served as a bridesmaid at Zara’s wedding.
In May 2012, it was confirmed that Captain and Sandra Pflueger had separated after being involved with another woman, Lauren Hough.
Captain Phillips is still a leading figure in the British equestrian circle, an eventing course designer, and a Hound & Hound magazine columnist. He is said to have found love again with a Belgian equestrian, Florence Standaert, who is the same age as his daughter, Zara Tindall.
See Also: Queen Elizabeth’s Great-Grandchildren: How Many Are They?
Timothy Laurence
Sir Timothy James Hamilton Laurence is the second of Princess Anne’s husbands. He is also her current spouse. He was born on March 1, 1955, in Camberwell, South London, to Commander Guy Stewart Laurence and Barbara Alison Laurence.
Timothy began his education at The New Beacon Preparatory School. He later moved to Sevenoaks School, Kent, and finally University College, University of Durham, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography.
He was commissioned as a midshipman in the Royal Navy on January 1, 1973. From there he continued to grow in his career until August 2010, when he retired from the Navy.
Sir Timothy met Princess Anne in 1986, while he served as an equerry to her mother, the Queen. Princess Ann was still married to Mark Phillips when they started exchanging letters. In 1989, the existence of these private letters was revealed by a newspaper outlet.
However, Buckingham Palace confirmed the rumors, stating that the letters were stolen from the Princess’ possession and were subject to investigation by the police.
The couple kept their relationship private until after her divorce from Captain Phillips was finalized. Subsequently, Sir Laurence proposed to Princess Anne and the pair got married on December 12, 1992, 7 months after her divorce was finalized.
Their wedding ceremony occurred at Crathie Parish Church, Ballater, in Scotland, since the Church in England did not permit remarriage after divorce. Her daughter, Zara served as a bridesmaid at the wedding.
The couple resides in a country estate in Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire, an estate she kept after her divorce from Phillip. They also have properties in Dolphin Square, Westminister, and St. James Palace.
Princess Anne is not the only member of the British Royal family to be divorced. The Queen Consort, Camilla Bowles, wife of King Charles III was married to Andrew Parker Bowles before the King of England with whom she had two children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.
