Princess Anne and her current husband first came to the public's attention after they
were caught writing steamy letters to one another. So, just who is the real Sir Timothy
Laurence? The truth about the Princess Royal's husband will leave you stunned.
Born in March 1955 to naval officer Commander
Guy Stewart Laurence and his wife Barbara Alison Laurence, Sir Timothy was the youngest of the
couple's two sons. Following in his father's footsteps, a young Timothy took up an interest in
the navy, eventually landing a naval scholarship to study geography at Durham University.
After graduation, Timothy joined the Royal Navy in 1973 and worked his way up. Four years later,
in 1977, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Though the details remain unclear,
Timothy reportedly met Princess Anne while serving as a navigating officer on Royal
Yacht Britannia — a yacht belonging to the royal family — between 1980 to 1982.
In the years that followed, Timothy rose in ranks, eventually getting promoted to
Captain in 1995. He also served on many ships and commanded a few, including the HMS Cumberland and
HMS Boxer. In the '90s, Timothy transitioned to working with the U.K. government, serving
in many capacities for the Ministry of Defense — first as an assistant to the defense minister,
and then as assistant chief of defense staff. On July 5, 2004, Laurence was promoted to rear
admiral and assistant chief of the defense staff, and in 2007 he earned the title of Vice Admiral.
In August 2010, he retired from the navy and now focuses primarily on charitable interests.
Sir Timothy Laurence has been
Princess Anne's husband for two decades, but this is actually not her first marriage.
According to Brides, the Princess Royal met Mark Phillips, an army officer with
whom she bonded over their shared love for horse-riding, in 1968. In May 1973,
the pair got engaged, getting married only a few months later in November.
Anne and Phillips' marriage was, however, not a very happy one, with People reporting at the
time that both the princess and her husband had extra-marital affairs. By 1985, their alleged
issues were no longer rumors, as Phillips fathered a child with a New Zealand teacher,
Heather Tonkin. Anne and Phillips separated four years later, eventually divorcing in
1992. That same year, Princess Anne got married to Sir Laurence — his first and only marriage.
"It's quite amusing that she'd marry first an army officer and then a naval officer.
So there must be something about the military that attracts her."
Given the Church of England's refusal to allow divorcees to remarry, Princess Anne
and Laurence had their wedding at a church in Scotland. The intimate ceremony was attended by
a number of Anne's family members, including Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret.
Upon his marriage to Princess Anne,
Sir Timothy Laurence did not receive peerage, because men who marry royal women rarely get
royal titles. Instead, in 2011, Queen Elizabeth named him Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian
Order. However, since he carries no royal title, Laurence does not perform royal duties
but makes sure to support his wife, who is also considered one of the most hard working royals.
Through the years, Laurence has joined Princess Anne as she goes about her many royal duties.
This, apparently, earned him favor with Queen Elizabeth, who never failed to show it. During
Trooping the Colour, which is part of the queen's birthday celebrations, Laurence was
granted special permission to appear alongside the family on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony.
Ahead of the occasion, the palace announced that only working royals would be allowed
on the balcony. Exceptions were made for Laurence, however, as well as some
of the queen's great-grandchildren. A royal source confirmed in a statement to Express:
"The Queen is happy [for him] to attend as a frequent attendee and support to
the Princess Royal on official engagements."
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne was faced with the task
of following her mother's coffin from Balmoral, to her final resting place
at Windsor Castle. Writing on Instagram, the Princess Royal made this tribute to her mother:
"It has been an honor and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys."
And while Princess Anne played an important role in ensuring the late
monarch was buried according to royal tradition, she has leaned on her husband
Sir Timothy Laurence for strength and support amid what has no doubt been a difficult period.
According to the Daily Mail, Laurence was with his wife when she accompanied
the queen's coffin from Balmoral to Edinburgh. Alongside other members of the royal family,
he also viewed floral tributes left for the queen outside of her Balmoral residence.
Furthermore, Laurence joined his wife, King Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward,
as well as Prince William and Prince Harry to walk in a procession behind the queen's coffin.
Even in the toughest times, Princess Anne can clearly count on Sir Laurence for strength.
In the late '80s, Sir Timothy Laurence was appointed as an equerry to the queen. It was
reportedly during this period he developed a close relationship with Princess Anne, who, at the time,
was still married to Captain Mark Phillips. It was not until April 1989, when letters addressed
to the princess written by Laurence were stolen and sent to a British newspaper, that the public
caught wind of the pair's friendship. Though the content of the letters was not revealed to the
public, an insider confirmed to People they were romantic in nature. The source told the outlet:
"It's quite clear that he is potty about her, but they are very boring and ramble
on. They are the sort of letters 18- or 19-year-olds write to one another,
thoughts about life and rather philosophical."
In response to the scandal, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming
that the letters were indeed stolen, adding that the issue had become "the subject of a
police investigation." Despite fingerprinting over 500 people, the identity of the person
who stole the letters and sent them to the press has remained unsolved to date.