Joke Sir Timothy Laurence made about wife Princess Anne’s first marriage as they celebrate wedding anniversary

Sir Timothy Laurence and Princess Anne celebrate 33 years of marriage today, having had their wedding back in 1992.

In 2020, Sir Timothy spoke of his relationship with the Princess Royal, in which he made a joke about her ex-husband, Captain Mark Phillips.
Timothy Laurence and Princess Anne have been married over 30 years (Credit: CoverImages.com)

Sir Timothy Laurence on Princess Anne and the royal family

Speaking in an ITV documentary that was broadcast in 2020 ahead of Anne’s 70th birthday, Sir Timothy spoke of the “humour” and “laughter” in the royal family.

“One of the great surprises for me, when I first went to Balmoral and to Sandringham and Windsor, was that these places are full of laughter,” he said.

‘The similarities with her [Princess Anne’s] father are much talked about, but what is less spoken about is the similarities with her mother, the Queen… the common theme is humour, fun.”

In the interview, Sir Timothy spoke of the similarities between himself and Anne.

“We are both map and chart people. We like to know where we are and see where we are going. We both follow, with great enthusiasm, the Scottish rugby team… as you may have noticed they don’t always win,” he said.

“She grew up with horses, horses have been part of her life, it’s not something I share with her. Sadly I’ve never been bitten by the horse bug.”

Sir Timothy spoke about Anne in an interview (Credit: CoverImages.com)

Sir Timothy Laurence jokes about Anne’s first husband

The interview also saw Sir Timothy make a joke about Anne’s first husband, Captain Mark Phillips.

Captain Phillips had been a Second Lieutenant in the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1971. By the time of his wedding to Anne in 1973, he was acting as Captain. He was promoted to Personal aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II in 1974, and promoted to Captain in 1975. He retired from the army in 1978.

Anne and Mark welcomed two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall. They announced their separation in 1989 before divorcing in 1992.

So there must be something about the military that attracts her.

Speaking in the documentary, Sir Timothy said: “It’s quite amusing that she married first an army officer and then a naval officer. So there must be something about the military that attracts her.”

Peter and Zara also appeared in the documentary, praising Sir Timothy.

“They both have an understanding of what being a part of the wider family means and what is required,” Peter said.

“He’s been a very strong support for [my mother].”
Anne and Timothy released their Christmas card (Credit: CoverImages.com)

Key detail of Anne and Timothy’s Christmas card

Earlier this week, Anne and Timothy released their annual Christmas card.

The card featured a picture of the couple riding a carriage during their visit to Sark as the Channel Islands marked Liberation Day in May.

It was taken by Aaron Chown. You can see it here.

The message inside the card reads: “With Best Wishes for a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and New Year from Anne and Tim.”

Fans have praised how Anne didn’t use her royal title in the card.

“No need to blow the trumpet with the princess title and yet impactful. I like it!” one said on X.

“Beautiful card. Such a lovely photo of them both. Love that Tim’s name is also on the card,” another said.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: “Anne needs no one to blow a trumpet for her. The informal photograph of her and her husband in a delightfully bucolic setting sets the tone for the simple greetings from ‘Anne’ and ‘Tim’.”