Princess Anne caught up with her ex-boyfriend Andrew Parker Bowles on the second day of the Royal Ascot. The two were spotted sitting next to one another while chatting about the event.
- Princess Anne and Andrew dated back in the 1970s before she met her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips.
- The pair have remained on good terms throughout the years and Andrew is even the godfather of Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall.
- In other royal news, Duchess Camilla leaves royal fans sure she is Prince Charles’ ‘soulmate’ in new video.
Former military officer Andrew Parker-Bowles was once the husband of Camilla Parker-Bowles - the same Camilla who is now better known as the Duchess of Cornwall.
But before he married Camilla, Andrew was involved with Princess Anne. The two were spotted chatting on the second day of this year's Royal Ascot - which is where they first met in 1970. Andrew had been invited to the racing event by the Royal Family, according to royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith. Though their relationship didn't last long, the pair have remained close and, at times, still attend Ascot together.
Some have wondered why Anne and Andrew never got married, but Royal traditions and protocol seem to have played a part.
"Anne and Andrew enjoyed each other’s company, but they could never marry because he was a Catholic,” Sally told Vanity Fair.
Not long after her break-up with Andrew, Princess Anne met another military officer, Captain Mark Phillips, and the two married in 1973.
Princess Anne and Mark Phillips divorced in 1992, after a separation of three years. She married Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence of the Royal Navy in December of that year, making her the first child of a British monarch to remarry after a divorce. At that point in time, the Church of England did not permit divorced couples to marry in church. However, the Church of Scotland did, so the wedding took place in Scotland, at Crathie Kirk, near the Queen's country estate of Balmoral.
Princess Anne's romantic relationship with Andrew may not have lasted, but it's great to see their friendship has stayed strong for decades.
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