Princess Anne is best known by the public as one of the hardest-working royals; however, behind closed doors, she is known as a wife, mother, and grandmother.
While Anne, 74, keeps much of her life on her Gatcombe Estate private, her marriage to her second husband, Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence, was very much in the public eye then. The pair wed 32 years ago today.
Before walking down the aisle on December 12, 1992, Anne—the King’s sister—had to ask her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, for permission to divorce her first husband, Mark Anthony Peter Phillips, with whom she shared children Peter and Zara Phillips.
It was after the divorce that the Princess Royal began to date Sir Tim, whom, according to Hello!, she reportedly first met years before when the naval officer was serving aboard the royal yacht as an equerry to the late Queen.
After dating for some time, the pair married in Scotland the same year as her divorce was finalised, opting for a small wedding with very close family at Crathie Kirk church near Balmoral. It is believed the couple had to wed in Scotland as divorcees at the time could not remarry under The Church of England.
Despite marrying the Princess Royal, Sir Tim continued to work in the Royal Navy up until 2010, when he retired after 37 years of service.
While he is often by his wife’s side for big royal events, Sir Tim is not an official working royal like Princess Anne.
Instead, he is often seen supporting Anne and other members of the Royal Family at large events, including the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
He is often seen accompanying the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside his wife and fellow senior royals.
As well as supporting the princess on the public stage, Sir Tim is also devoted to being by his wife’s side in private after 32 years of marriage, as shown when Anne suffered a head injury earlier this year in June.
The Princess Royal had been walking around her estate when an incident happened that left the princess with minor head injuries. She was kept in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, for treatment and precaution.
Sir Tim was seen outside the hospital visiting his wife and bringing her much-needed home comforts. He told reporters then that the bag he was carrying into the hospital was full of “a few little treats from home”.
Over the years, the couple has been seen as a great source of support to each other in public and private, especially after a difficult few years. They are likely to spend their 32nd wedding anniversary together at their Gloucestershire estate, where Princess Anne’s children and their families also live.
