Princess Anne was among the guests at Wednesday’s Royal Ascot, where she joined other royal family members, including her brothers Prince Charles and Prince Edward and their respective wives, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex.
And there was another familiar face in the royal box – Andrew Parker Bowles.
The 81-year-old retired Army officer is famously the ex-husband of Charles’s wife Camilla – but he is also a former boyfriend of the Princess.
Camilla and Andrew were married from 1973 until 1995 and together share two children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. Prior to his marriage, however, Andrew was romantically linked to Princess Anne.
While their relationship came to an end, the pair remain on excellent terms – so much so that Andrew is a godfather to Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall. They often reunite at horse racing events, too – and both seemed in high spirits as they chatted together this week.
It should also be noted that Andrew also has a good relationship with his ex-wife and was among the invitees at Charles and Camilla’s wedding in April 2005.
Princess Anne, meanwhile, has been married to Sir Timothy Laurence – a former equerry to the Queen – since 1992. It is her second marriage; she was formerly married to Mark Phillipsbetween 1973 and 1992 and together they share her two children, Zara and Peter Phillips.
Princess Anne – the Queen’s only daughter – and Sir Timothy reside together at her Gloucester home, Gatcombe Park. Anne is grandmother to Peter and his former wife Autumn’s daughters, Savannah, ten, and Isla, nine, as well as Zara and Mike Tindall‘s three children, Mia, seven, Lena, who is three this week, and two-month-old son Lucas
Zara – who attended Ascot on Tuesday with her husband Mike – has inherited her mother’s love of all things equestrian. Anne became the first member of the British royal family to compete at the Olympics in 1976, and Zara competed with the Great Britain Eventing Team at the 2012 summer Olympics. She won a silver medal at the games – presented to her by her mum.
