Princess Anne’s Second Husband Of 30 Years Gave Her A 'Shoulder To Cry On' While She Was Still Married

Sep 25, 2022 by apost team

The second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip,  Anne, Princess Royal, is the 16th in the line of succession to the British throne. While the chances of her becoming queen are slim, she has consistently performed her duties and participated in royal engagements ever since she reached adulthood. In fact, she has been dubbed one of the “most hardworking” royals as she has been taking on responsibilities on behalf of her brother, King Charles III, especially when the latter was still a prince. 

While Anne can undoubtedly do her duties on her own, fulfilling her obligations to the crown is even more meaningful with an honorable and loving man standing beside her. 

Princess Anne has led a quiet and more private life than many of her nieces and nephews. On her social media accounts, she mostly shares formal photos and pre-approved stories, which means that it's not all that common for the public to get a glimpse into her life.

However, Anne’s been reported to be one of the busiest working senior members of the royal family. She is also known for her stylish fashion. Like many royals, the media is always reporting on what she's wearing, including her jewelry. One article of interest is Anne's engagement ring, which is not only unconventional but has also caught the eye of fans around the globe.

When Anne married her second husband Sir Timothy Laurence in 1992, both her wedding attire and her engagement ring broke the mold in comparison to all royal weddings that came before. 

While most royals wear a clear jewel, usually a diamond, to honor their marriage proposal, Princess Anne opted for another less-traditional gem that added a rare component to her engagement ring. 

But before she got married to her current husband of 30 years, Anne was previously married to Captain Mark Phillips, who she wed in 1973. In fact, she was the first of her three siblings to tie the knot. According to Tatler, the two met in Mexico City while attending an event for horse riding enthusiasts. 

Although they were rarely spotted out together, the strain of their relationship was highly publicized with reports of the both of them having affairs with other people (Anne dated her brother’s wife Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom's then-husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles). Their divorce was finalized in April 1992. The princess and Mark share two children together: Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall.

In her first marriage, Anne also had a non-traditional engagement ring. According to The Court Jeweller, Mark "proposed with a Garrard ring featuring a central sapphire flanked by a pair of diamonds in 1973." 

Following the breakup of her first marriage, Anne was lucky to find love a second time, when she married Sir Timothy at Crathie Kirk in Scotland, on Dec. 12, 1992. They do not have biological children together

One tie that her former engagement ring and the one she received from her current husband have in common is that they both opt for the colorful sapphire as a gem instead of the traditional, clear diamond. Her cabochon sapphire from Timothy is on a simple gold band and features small diamonds on each side of the sapphire. 

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Princess Anne and her husband's relationship, though, isn’t without controversies. Timothy became part of the royal circle in 1986, where he worked as an equerry or a personal assistant for the late Queen Elizabeth II. In 1989, Anne’s love letters were stolen from her. This led to the exposure of the ongoing romance between them. 

A source told PEOPLE in 1989 that it was like love at first sight for the couple who fell in love with each other the moment they first met. “Tim never stopped thinking about Princess Anne from soon after their first meeting … Anne has treated him as her closest confidant for some considerable time.” 

But it was more than just physical attraction that brought them together — it was the fact that Anne had someone to lean on and cry, and open up to whenever she was feeling lonely. More than anything else, he understood her. 

"Obviously, Tim and the princess were physically attracted to each other, but their friendship goes deeper than that. Tim had filled a loneliness in her life and given her a shoulder to cry on when she needed someone to tell her troubles to,” the source said. “He understands her tantrums and the bad publicity she attracts. But most of all, he cares for her in the way her husband does not,” it added.  

Even before everything about their relationship went public, Anne never failed to show Timothy how much he meant to her, as she visited him when he got sick in 1988. In September of that year, he was named adviser to her charity Anne’s Charities Trust — proof of their growing fondness for each other before their letters leaked in March 1989. Apparently, they sent letters to each other over an 18-month period prior to their correspondence going public.

In August 1989, Anne celebrated her 39th birthday with Timothy. This fueled speculation that there was indeed a brewing romance between them, adding to the fact that Philips was nowhere in sight. Then after a few days, Timothy became part of the Royal Victorian Order. That same month, Anne and her first husband decided to go their separate ways and file for divorce. 

Following her divorce in April 1992, Anne and Timothy attended the Royal Caledonian Ball, their first public appearance together. In December of that year, they eventually married. The BBC reported details about the intimate wedding ceremony including the outfits the couple had worn that day — Timothy in his Royal Navy uniform while Anne donned a "simple white suit."

In 2022, when Queen Elizabeth died, Anne did not hide her sadness from the public. In fact, she walked in the streets behind the hearse carrying Her Majesty’s coffin and rode in a car from Balmoral to Edinburgh while showing signs of grief over the passing of her mom, as seen in photos on social media. 

Through it all, Anne endured the pain and showed strength amid a challenging time in her life. But Anne had also drawn strength from her husband Timothy, who stood by her side ever since they decided to build a life together — and even more so during a painful time in her life. It became more evident when the late queen died, as photos emerged of Timothy walking behind Anne while they marched towards St Giles’ Cathedral from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Indeed, he is the love of her life — and he has shown it time and again. 

What do you think about Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence’s love story? Let us know your thoughts and pass this on to those who love reading about the royal family!