On August 15, Princess Anne Royal celebrates her 73rd birthday. During her long life, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II was married twice and gave birth to two children. Today we are talking about the second marriage of the princess, which has been going on for more than 30 years. And let’s talk a little about the first one.
First marriage to Captain Mark Phillips
Anna first married in 1973, she had just turned 23 then. The princess met her future husband at a party for horse lovers in 1968.
The engagement to Captain Mark Phillips was announced on May 29, 1973. Phillips gave Anna a sapphire and diamond engagement ring from Garrard jewelry house.
And the couple decided to get married on the birthday of Anna’s brother, King Charles III, on November 14, 1973, at St. Peter’s Collegiate Church in Westminster. Apparently, the princess chose the date specifically to take revenge on her brother, who spoke about Mark in the most unsightly way, stating that Anna was marrying Phillips in order not to leave the stables. Charles was celebrating his 25th birthday that day. “Anna could not marry her horse and therefore chose a groom,” – commented on the choice of Princess Charles.
On the day of the wedding, Anna wore an embroidered Tudor-style wedding dress with a high collar and sleeves with elements of the Middle Ages. It was designed by Maureen Baker, head designer at Susan Small. On the head of the bride was the tiara of Queen Mary of Teck, which was called “Frange”.
Their marriage lasted 18.5 years, two children were born in it – son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall (nee Phillips). The divorce took place on April 23, 1992, and soon Princess Anne announced that she was going to marry again at the age of 42 for the second time.
Second marriage to Commander (now Vice Admiral) Timothy Lawrence
Also in 1992, Princess Anne married for the second time. With Timothy Lawrence, the commander of the Royal Navy, Anna met when he served on the Royal yacht “Britain”. Their relationship began in early 1989, three years after he was appointed equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. At that time, the princess was still married, but apparently she was already preparing for a divorce.
Princess Anne’s second wedding took place in 1992, eight months after she divorced her first husband. They got married in Scotland at the Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle on December 12, 1992. It was a modest ceremony in all respects, which was attended by only 30 guests. The church in Scotland was chosen for a reason, because, unlike the Anglican Church, it allowed the remarriage of divorced people under certain circumstances.
At the wedding ceremony, Anna wore a white jacket over a modest knee-length cropped dress and a bouquet of white flowers in her hair. Her engagement ring was a cabochon sapphire surrounded by three small diamonds on each side. The couple did not have children in marriage, but for almost 32 years they have been living together.
What is the secret of a long marriage of a couple
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Royal experts unanimously say that the secret of Anna and Timothy’s happy marriage lies in the cheerful disposition of the royal princess. They say Anna’s sense of humor is so great that it saves any situation that may come up in such a long marriage. They say that Anna is very easy to deal with any problems and troubles, that this helps to smooth the corners, and the marriage remains happy for so long. Over the past few years, Princess Anne has had a hard time, she first buried her father, Prince Philip, and a year later, her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Obviously, this brought a lot of stress into her life, but Anna and Timothy stuck together tightly, and survived all the difficulties. Not without a sense of humor, of course.
The record holders in royal marriages, of course, are Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, they lived for more than 74 years. But, given that Anna’s marriage was the second, she also sets a good example.
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