When Mark Phillips Was Married To Princess Anne, He Had A Secret That Sparked A Royal Scandal
It was November 14, 1973, and a happy British couple were exchanging their vows to officially become husband and wife. The extravagant wedding ceremony was taking place at Westminster Abbey, and as the storied venue they were getting hitched in might suggest, the bride and groom were no ordinary Joes. Yes, the ecstatic pair getting hitched on that day were Army Captain Mark Phillips and Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. But little did the blissful couple know that years into the marriage, the groom would harbor a dark secret, one which would spark a major royal scandal.
The Beginning Of Married Life
Yes, years after the Princess and Phillips married on that memorable November day in 1973, problems began to surface in their marriage. By the mid-1980s those problems would give rise to a scandal that would shake the British royal family to its very core. In 1991 the shocking transgression would become public knowledge after an unwelcome confession.
A Real-Life Drama
The shockwaves from the scandal that emerged during the Princess and Phillip’s marriage are still being felt today. Indeed, a new development in 2017 further complicated matters and reminded people of the shameful events that had occurred decades earlier. But before getting into the details, we should first properly introduce the main protagonists in this remarkable real-life drama.
Enter The Princess Royal
Anne, the Princess Royal was born Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise in London on August 15, 1950. She was the second born of the United Kingdom’s future Queen, Princess Elizabeth Windsor and her husband Prince Phillip Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh. Her birth was marked by a Royal Salute in Hyde Park. She immediately became a princess, and by 1952 (when her mother ascended the throne upon George VI’s death) she was second in line of succession behind her elder brother Charles. She would, however, drop down the pecking order when her second brother Prince Andrew was born in 1960.
The Silver Spoon
Obviously then, given her illustrious family tree, the princess was not born into poverty. Indeed, her early childhood years were spent playing in the gardens of luxurious royal residences such as the Royal Lodge in Windsor and Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She would begin her education at Buckingham Palace under the tutelage of governess Catherine Peeble, and Anne also spent time as a Girl Guide in the Kingfisher Patrol of the First Buckingham Palace Company, which was set up especially for her.
