18 November 2023 , 17:45
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It was a royal scandal she was "mortified" to be caught up in. When TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon was tasked with writing the biography of Captain Mark Phillips in the early 1980s it sparked rumours of a torrid affair.
The speculation, which was completely untrue, took hold when Angela, 79, spent time with Princess Anne and her husband at their Gatcombe Park home. And it led to one of the most upsetting episodes in her lengthy career. "I was spending a lot of time with him so these dirty-minded reporters decided we must be having an affair," said the broadcaster, who was herself married at the time.
"Suddenly the papers were full of these stories that I was having an affair with Captain Phillips. I went through the most dreadful time."
In an interview with the Scotsman, Angela branded the speculation "sexist" and called the journalists who fuelled the rumours "dirty-minded". She looked into taking legal action but did not have enough grounds to do so. "It was one of the most awful times of my life - really creepy," she said. "I was there doing a professional job and it was deeply embarrassing and incredibly upsetting."
Princess Anne and Mark Phillips pictured at a horse trials in 1975 (Getty Images)
Newsreader Angela called rumours of her affair with Mark "incredibly upsetting" (Getty Images)"It caused a lot of hurt," said Mark. "I wonder why it was ever published."
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Princess Anne met her first husband on the equestrian circuit and they wed at Westminster Abbey in November 1973, watched by an estimated 500 million people around the world. At the time, Mark combined his career in the army with competitive riding, winning a team gold Olympic medal for eventing in 1972.
The couple had two children, Peter and Zara but after the birth of their daughter in 1981 the marriage fell apart, with both rumoured to be having extramarital affairs. Anne was famously linked to her bodyguard, Sergeant Peter Cross.
While Mark didn't have a relationship with biographer Angela he fathered a love child with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin in 1985.
By 1991 it was all over - Anne, 72 and Mark. 75, divorced and both went onto remarry. Anne wed Commander Timothy Lawrence and Mark tied the knot with fellow equestrian Sandy Pflueger, with the latter couple later divorcing.
Newsreader Angela was married to engineer Christopher Dare for 22 years, divorcing in 1989.