ROYAL PARTNER
Who is Princess Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence and does he have any children?
And why their wedding was forbidden in England
SIR TIMOTHY LAURENCE and Princess Anne have been married for over three decades and have celebrated many major milestones together.
The couple, who held their wedding in Scotland, met while Sir Timothy was working for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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Who is Princess Anne's husband Sir Timothy Laurence?
Sir Timothy Laurence is a retired Royal Navy officer.
He was born on March 1, 1955, in Camberwell, London.
Tim never stopped thinking about Princess Anne from soon after their first meeting.
A friend of Sir Timothy on his romance with Princess Anne
Sir Timothy attended the New Beacon Prep Sevenoaks School in Kent before going to the University of Durham on a naval scholarship.
While at university he studied geography and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Upper Second-Class Honours degree.
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As a student he was the editor of the student newspaper and captain of the cricket team.
Once he completed his studies Sir Timothy left Durham to train at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
He then spent the next 40 years in the Navy rising up the ranks to become Vice Admiral.
Sir Timothy retired from the Navy in 2010 and began to pursue other interests.
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He was the Chairman of the English Heritage Trust from 2015 until 2022 was also vice chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
In December 2023 he was appointed Chair of the Science Museum Group.
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When did Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence get married?
Sir Timothy met Princess Anne in 1987.
The couple first crossed paths when Sir Timothy was serving as an equerry to Anne's mother, the Queen.
Princess Anne was still married to Captain Mark Phillips at the time but the pair split in 1989.
At the time of their separation Buckingham Palace released a statement that read: "Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, and Capt. Mark Phillips have decided to separate on terms agreed between them.
"There are no plans for divorce proceedings."
Princess Anne and Captain Phillips did eventually divorce in 1992 and on December 12 of that year she and Sir Timothy tied the knot.
The couple were married in a private ceremony at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral.
They had to travel to Scotland to be wed as the Church of England did not allow divorced people to re-marry in its churches while their former spouse was still alive.
Since 2022 the church has allowed this to happen but only in "exceptional circumstances"
Sir Timothy received no peerage at the time of his marriage to Princess Anne but he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2011.
Since their wedding the couple have lived together on the Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
In 1989 a friend of Timothy's told magazine that Sir Timothy "never stopped thinking about Princess Anne from soon after their first meeting".
The friend added: "Anne has treated him as her closest confidant for some considerable time.
"Obviously, Tim and the princess were physically attracted to each other, but their friendship goes deeper than that.
"Tim has filled a loneliness in her life and given her a shoulder to cry on when she needed someone to tell her troubles to."
Do Sir Timothy Laurence and Princess Anne have any children?
Sir Timothy and Princess Anne do not have any children together.
Princess Anne shares son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall with her ex-husband.
Peter is a businessman and Zara is an Olympian, equestrian and businesswoman.
Peter shares two children with his ex-wife Autumn Kelly called Savannah and Isla.
He has been in a relationship with Lindsay Wallace, a school friend of his sister's, since 2022.
Zara, meanwhile, has been married to former England rugby player Mike Tindall since 2011.
They have three children together; daughters Mia and Lena and son Lucas.
When was Sir Timothy Laurence equerry to the Queen?
Sir Timothy was equerry to the Queen between 1986 and 1989.
An equerry is an officer of the British royal household who attends or assists members of the royal family.
The role is appointed by working members of the royal family and involves working closely with the family and attending personal engagements.
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The Queen's last equerry before her passing on September 8 2022, was Major Tom White, a Royal Marines commando who was appointed in 2020.
As King Charles III ascended to the British throne, Major Johnny Thompson became his equerry.
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