While royal weddings often attract much excitement and public interest, unfortunately, some marriages haven’t lasted. Three of the Queen’s children went through a divorce – Prince Charles to Princess Diana, Princess Anne to Mark Phillips and Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson. Charles remarried the Duchess of Cornwall, while Anne found love again with Timothy Laurence.
Take a look back at some of the most high-profile royal divorces through the years.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana
The couple were married in a fairy-tale wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981 and became parents to sons Prince William and Prince Harry in 1982 and 1984 respectively. Charles and Diana‘s marriage broke down and the pair were leading separate lives by 1992, with their divorce finalised in 1996.
Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly
Princess Anne‘s son Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn sadly announced their separation in February 2020. The couple, who share daughters Savannah and Isla, continue to live at the Princess Royal’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
Peter and Autumn confirmed the end of their almost 12-year marriage in a statement at the time, adding: “Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children.”
Prince Louis of Luxembourg and Tessy Antony de Nassau
The third son of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Prince Louis, met his future wife Tessy in 2004. The couple married in September 2006 when their first child Prince Gabriel was six months old. Their second son Prince Noah arrived one year later in September 2007.
In January 2017, the couple announced their separation but their divorce wasn’t finalised until April 2019.
Tessy is happily settled with her fiance, Swiss businessman Frank Floessel, with whom she is expecting her third child. Prince Louis, meanwhile, is engaged to Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue.
David and Serena Armstrong-Jones
Just days after Peter and Autumn’s split announcement in February 2020, the Earl and Countess of Snowdon announced their plans to divorce after 25 years of marriage. Princess Margaret‘s son David Armstrong-Jones and wife Serena tied the knot in 1993 and share two children, Viscount Linley, Charles Armstrong-Jones and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Andrew and Sarah had reportedly known each other since childhood and tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in 1986. Their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were born in 1988 and 1990 respectively. The couple drifted apart and announced their separation in 1992, finalising their divorce four years later. Andrew and Sarah remain on good terms and still live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips
The Queen’s daughter married Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey in 1973 and had two children together, Peter and Zara Phillips. In 1981, they announced their separation, finalising their divorce in 1992. Anne went on to marry Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones
The Queen’s sister married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, with their first child David arriving the following year and daughter Lady Sarah in 1964. The couple’s relationship had broken down by the 1970s, with Margaret increasingly spending more time on the private Caribbean island of Mustique. The couple divorced in 1978.
Prince Joachim of Denmark and Countess Alexandra
The prince and the countess were divorced in April 2005 after nearly ten years of marriage. The couple has two sons together, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, and Joachim went on to marry Marie Cavallier in 2008. They also have two children together, welcoming Prince Henrik and Princess Athena in 2009 and 2012 respectively.
Princess Caroline of Monaco and Philippe Junot
Princess Caroline and Parisian banker Philippe tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Monaco in 1978, attended by Hollywood stars, including Ava Gardner, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. The marriage ended in divorce two years later.
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and Daniel Ducruet
Princess Stephanie married her bodyguard Daniel Ducruet in 1992 and went on to have two children, Louis and Pauline. The couple divorced four years after their wedding.
