12 December 2023 , 15:32
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Princess Anne is today celebrating 31 years of marriage with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, with their happy 1992 wedding at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, once described by Royal writer Katie Nicholls as "a rare moment of good cheer in what had been a terrible year (for the Royal family)".
The Princess Royal's love life hasn't been all smooth sailing, however, and in her younger days, Anne, now 73, had her fair share of romantic drama, as fans of The Crown will no doubt be aware. This includes a reported scandalous affair with her protection officer, as well as a fling with the former husband of Queen Camilla.
Princess Anne married Capt. Mark Phillips in 1973, but there were rocky times ahead (PA)
In 1979, rumours began to circulate about Princess Anne and Sergeant Peter Cross (REX/Shutterstock)Bodyguard affair
In episode four of the fourth season of The Crown, Queen Elizabeth II, played by Olivia Coleman, is seen confronting a young Princess Anne (Erin Doherty) about rumours that were then circulating regarding an alleged affair between her and bodyguard, Sergeant Peter Cross. After being informed Peter would be sent back to 'desk duties' in light of the whispers, Anne, in a rare moment of vulnerability, begged: "Don't do that to me. You can't. He's the one thing that makes me happy."
It was a memorable moment in the show and one that piqued viewers' curiosity as to what really went on between the princess and her protection officer at a time when she was still married to her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. Indeed, although many parts of The Crown have been fictionalised, accounts claim that an affair did indeed take place between Anne and Peter.
The Sheffield-born police officer was assigned to the royal protection detail in 1979, and given the responsibility of guarding the then 29-year-old Anne at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire as well as during her various Royal engagements. As detailed in The Crown, rumours began to circulate about the pair, and Peter was reportedly 'moved out very fast indeed' by 'freaked out' Scotland Yard bosses, as per The Daily Express.
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Peter has since opened up about their alleged romance (Getty Images)Although Anne has never spoken out publicly about their relationship, Peter went on to sell his story to The News of the World in 1984. He then opened up again about their alleged time together in 2020, after The Crown sparked renewed interest in Anne's early years, telling the Mail Online that the princess was 'one of the most fascinating women [he'd] ever met'', and that their feelings came 'so close to love'.
According to Peter, who had been married with two young children at the time, he and Anne began to bond during heart-to-heart chats on the back stairs at her sprawling country estate and would sip coffee together until the early hours of the morning. Recalling their apparent first kiss, which reportedly took place while Captain Mark was away, Cross claimed he was seated in an armchair, with Princess Anne at his feet.
Peter revealed: "My right hand was kind of dangling over the arm of the chair. Suddenly, she turned and looked at me. At the same time, our hands brushed, then clasped together. For a few seconds, we remained like that — like two statues, looking directly into each other's eyes, our hands locked together. Then, suddenly, we kissed." Concerned about being seen, the pair allegedly then made their way to the library, where they 'embraced'.
The Princess Royal reportedly had a brief fling with Captain Andrew Parker Bowles, who later married the future Queen Camilla (Getty Images)Fling with Queen Camilla's ex-husband
In season three of The Crown, Princess Anne is seen having a 'bit of fun' with Andrew Parker Bowles (Andrew Buchan) at around the same time things were heating up between the twentysomething King Charles III (Josh O'Connor) and Andrew's then-future wife, Queen Camilla (Emerald Fennell).
The writers have taken some liberties with the timeline here, with Royal author Sally Bedell Smith telling Elle that Anne and Andrew became involved approximately two years before Charles and Camilla, in 1970. There is some truth mixed in with the fiction, however, and it's believed Anne and Andrew were indeed involved in a brief fling, that couldn't have blossomed into anything more substantial on account of Andrew's catholicism. In news that many disappoint some fans, it's not very likely that Anne would have been quite so candid with her parents about her casual attraction to Andrew, as was depicted to widespread amusement in the show.
Bedell Smith explained: "It is highly unlikely that Anne would have shared with her mother that she had a fling with Andrew Parker Bowles. If anything, the royal family in those days avoided talking about personal matters like that. There was even a term for it; 'ostriching'. If Anne had been desperate to marry Andrew, she would have been compelled to raise her intentions with her parents because Andrew was Catholic. But the romance never got that far."
Although things didn't work out romantically between Anne and Andrew, it's understood the pair have remained great friends to this day, with Andrew even being named as godfather to Anne's daughter Zara Tindall, born 1981.