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Princess Anne proved to be a popular addition to Netflix’s royal biopic The Crown last season, whether she sang alongside David Bowie as they drove along The Mall, London, or marched on Buckingham Pace in riding boots.
Crown’s fourth season, however, shows a different and more vulnerable side to Princess Anne (played once again by Erin Doherty in The Crown cast), as her marriage to her first husband, Cavalry Officer Mark Phillips (Geoffrey Breton), is irretrievably interrupted. and has an affair with his bodyguard.
But what was the real story behind the couple’s wedding and was Princess Anne really having an affair?
Who is Mark Phillips and when did he marry Princess Anne?
Mark Phillips was Princess Anne’s first husband, whom he married on 14 November 1973 in Westminster Abbey. The previous year he won an Olympic gold medal as part of the British equestrian team at the Munich Olympics, and would go on to add a silver medal to his trophy at the upcoming Olympic Games.
The couple had reportedly met at a social event after the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. They both shared a love of horseback riding and equestrian sports. He also introduced her to the bloodsport fox hunt, which would later cause controversy for the princess.
Philips has two children with Princess Anne, Peter (born 1977) and Zara (born 1981). Prior to their separation, Philips and Anne lived in Gatcombe Park, the Gloucester country residence which the Queen purchased in 1976 for an undisclosed sum (estimated at £ 750,000) as a wedding gift for the couple.
As a young man, Philips attended the Royal Sandhurst Military Training Center from the age of 19, before being in charge of the Queen’s dragon guards two years later.
Was Princess Anne having an affair?
According to the episode “Favorites” of the fourth season of The Crown, Princess Anne was allegedly having an affair with Sergeant Peter Cross, her police bodyguard and member of the Royal Protection Squad.
In the Netflix series, the Queen kindly tells Anne that it has been decided that Cross will resume her desk duties. “It’s the only thing that makes me happy,” Anne replies, trying to get her mother to change her mind.
Cross began working for the princess in 1979 and was reportedly removed from his duties a year later. He would later sell his “ kiss and tell ” story to the tabloids, claiming that Anne had used the code name “ Mrs Wallis ” (presumably a reference to her great-uncle’s American wife, Wallis Simpson) whenever she phoned him.
Princess Anne would later also have an affair with royalty’s favorite commander Timothy Laurence, a knight to the queen and the man who would become Anna’s second husband (they got married in a private ceremony in 1992).
In March 1989, four of Laurence’s private love letters to Princess Anne were stolen (variously reported as taken from her desk or briefcase) and delivered to the British tabloid The Sun, which then passed them to Scotland Yard.
“THE THIEF OF PALAZZO STOLES ANNE’S LETTERS … SUN TO THE RESCUE”, headlined The Sun. The newspaper article did not reveal the author of the letter or the addressee due to the risk of being sued, but only the appearance of the letters (all four written in black ink).
The Palace responded by releasing an unprecedented statement: “The stolen letters were addressed to the Princess Royal by Commander Timothy Laurence, Queen’s Equerry. We have nothing to say about the content of the personal letters sent to Her Royal Highness by a friend which have been stolen and which are the subject of a police investigation. “
“It’s pretty clear he’s corny about her,” a source who had seen the letters told People Weekly that April. “But they are very boring and ramble. They are the kind of letters that eighteen or nineteen year olds write to each other, thoughts about life and rather philosophical, discussing how beautiful a field in the sun with a stream running through it is. “
Only the previous September, Laurence had been selected as an advisor to Anne’s Charities Trust.
When did Princess Anne and Mark Philips divorce?
The couple officially separated in August 1989. “Concise statement points out the end of a royal wedding,” headlined the Times; “‘Lives separated’ but there are no plans for a divorce, says Palace spokesman.”
The “long overdue” statement was released at noon on August 31, when Princess Anne was safely out of the country to participate in the International Olympic Committee in Puerto Rico.
However, despite the mansion’s initial claims that there were no plans for a divorce, the couple eventually divorced in April 1992, eight months before Anne married Timothy Laurence in Scotland near Balmoral Castle.
What happened to Princess Anne’s show jumping career?
Princess Anne was a skilled amazon and show jumper, and represented Britain in Eventing at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Horseback riding was a passion she shared with her first husband Mark Philips, and the couple were both members of the winning British team at the 1971 European Championships – the same year that Anne was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
When the couple separated, British Equestrian Federation Director General Major Malcolm Wallace told The Times that he did not believe the separation would impact their equestrian careers, expecting them to continue attending equestrian events as a couple and to continue. they too. fundraising for the federation.
Anne remained president of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (the international governing body of equestrian sports) from 1986 to 1994.
Crown’s fourth season will be released on November 15th. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
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