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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Princess Anne has been married twice: first to Captain Mark Phillips, from 1973 until their marriage was dissolved in 1992, and later to Timothy Laurence, whom she married in December 1992. She and Phillips have two children. Earlier reported suitors appear in secondary accounts, but they are not an official or fully verified dating record.
Princess Anne’s marriages at a glance
| Spouse | Marriage | What is documented |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Mark Phillips | 14 November 1973; marriage dissolved April 1992 | They had two children, Peter Mark Phillips and Zara Phillips. |
| Timothy Laurence | 12 December 1992 | At the time of the wedding he was Commander Timothy Laurence; the Royal Family biography now styles him Admiral Laurence. |
These dates and family details are given in the Royal Family’s official biography of the Princess Royal.
Mark Phillips: Anne’s first marriage
Anne married Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey on 14 November 1973. The Royal Family records that their marriage was dissolved in April 1992. Their children are Peter Mark Phillips, born 15 November 1977, and Zara Phillips, born 15 May 1981.
Timothy Laurence: how the relationship became public
Timothy Laurence became an equerry to Queen Elizabeth II in 1986. The exact moment he first met Anne is not established in the available reporting. In 1989, letters addressed to Anne by Laurence were stolen, bringing their existence into public view, according to The Independent’s 2022 account.
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Responding at the time, Buckingham Palace said: “The stolen letters were addressed to the Princess Royal by Commander Timothy Laurence, the Queen’s Equerry. We have nothing to say about the contents of personal letters sent to Her Royal Highness by a friend which were stolen and which are the subject of a police investigation.” The statement described Laurence as a friend and declined to discuss the letters’ contents; it did not set out a fuller account of the relationship.
Anne and Laurence married on 12 December 1992. The Royal Family biography identifies him by his present style, Admiral Laurence.
Who was Anne reported to have dated before Mark Phillips?
Later accounts name Andrew Parker Bowles among Anne’s earlier suitors. A 10 May 2026 AOL feature by Emma Banks attributes its discussion to royal author Sally Bedell Smith and other publications. It also repeats other alleged suitor names drawn from a television documentary and additional sources.
Those accounts are secondary reporting, not an official record or a complete, confirmed list of Anne’s relationships. The Independent notes that Anne has not publicly acknowledged the rumors about Parker Bowles or Peter Cross. Neither should be described as a relationship she personally confirmed.
What is confirmed—and what is not
- Officially documented: Anne’s marriages to Mark Phillips and Timothy Laurence, the dissolution of her first marriage, and her two children are recorded in the Royal Family biography.
- Reported, but not an official roster: Secondary accounts discuss earlier suitors, including Andrew Parker Bowles, with claims attributed to writers and other publications.
- Not publicly confirmed by Anne: The Independent reports that Anne has not acknowledged the Parker Bowles and Peter Cross rumors.
For a documentary-style account, that distinction matters: the marriage dates and children are official biographical facts, while the earlier dating stories remain attributed reports rather than settled personal testimony.
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