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THE BREAK-UP

When did Princess Anne and Mark Phillips divorce?

UNLIKE many of the members of the Royal Family, Princess Anne tends to stay out of the spotlight.

But in the early 90s she joined her brothers Prince Andrew and the then Prince Charles in getting divorced.

Princes Anne and Mark Phillips on their wedding day
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Princes Anne and Mark Phillips on their wedding dayCredit: Getty

When did Princess Anne and Mark Phillips divorce?

Princess Anne married to Mark Phillips in 1973.

Before they, wed Mark attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and then went on to serve in the Army as a Second Lieutenant.

He was promoted to Captain in July 1975, and eventually retired from the Army in 1978.

During their marriage, Princess Anne had two children with Mark - Peter and Zara.

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Anne declined titles for her children after she was given the choice of adding an HRH status to their name.

Royal tradition dictates that only the father can pass on his title but since Mark Phillips was a commoner he had no title to bestow.

Peter was their firstborn and following the Queen's passing away, he is now seventeenth in line for the throne.

After Zara's birth, Princess Anne and Mark were rumored to have marital troubles, after they were rarely seen together.

These problems came to a head when, in 1985, Mark fathered a love child with art teacher, Heather Tonkin - a paternity test confirmed this in 1991.

The couple separated in 1989, and divorced each other in 1992.

Later that same year, Princess Anne tied the knot with Timothy Laurence.

Who is Princess Anne's second husband Timothy Laurence?

Sir Timothy Laurence is the second husband of Princess Anne.

He is a retired Royal Navy officer who was equerry to the late Queen.

But in contrast to what is usually the case with royal marriages, Sir Timothy was not given a royal title by the late Queen after marrying a member of the Royal Family.

Who did Mark Phillips marry after Princess Anne?

After Princess Anne, Mark moved on as well, marrying Sandy Pflueger, an equestrian, in 1997.

The couple had a daughter, Stephanie, who they welcomed the same year as their marriage.

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However, after fifteen years together, they divorced in 2012, again following infidelity on his part.

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He moved on with showjumper Lauren Hough - who is 28 years his junior - and (as of November 2022) are still a couple.

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