More than three decades have passed since the Princess Royal’s second marriage to Sir Timothy Laurence, making her the first child of a British monarch to remarry.
At that time, the Church of England forbade its members from remarrying after a divorce while their former spouse was still alive. But the rebellious Princess Anne broke the rules in more ways than one: she married her lover in Scotland and wore a very un-royal mini dress for the occasion.
Princess Anne’s second wedding dress was all about practicality and was a world away from the trumpet-sleeved, Tudor-inspired dress she wore at her first wedding.
© Shutterstock
© ShutterstockShe foregoes the flowing train, ethereal veil and spectacular royal wedding tiara that characterize most of a royal bride’s wardrobe, opting instead for a cream jacket and matching flowing skirt.
The rebellious princess, who tied the knot in front of 30 people at Crathie Kirk church in Aberdeenshire, wore her hair in a voluminous beehive hairstyle pinned with a delicate bloom of white flowers – a far cry from the £5 million Queen Mary Fringe Tiara she wore at her first wedding.
In another departure from bridal tradition, Princess Anne slipped into black pumps on her special day, breaking the age-old tradition of wearing white, ivory or neutral-toned shoes.
© ShutterstockIn the 1990s, short wedding dresses were no longer a thing after the fashion evolution of the miniskirt in the 1960s paved the way for groundbreaking brides to break away from tradition.
However, for a royal bride, Princess Anne’s thigh-length wedding skirt was undoubtedly considered a questionable choice for the daughter of a monarch at the time.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, royal protocol favoured longer hemlines, with senior members of the royal family expected to wear skirts that reached at least to the knee.
To date, she is the only member of the British royal family to wear a short wedding dress. She was inspired by legendary fashion models such as Audrey Hepburn, Sharon Tate and Mia Farrow, who opted for bridal mini dresses years before her.
Princess Anne’s early relationship with Sir Timothy Laurence caused a stir
The Princess Royal met the late Queen’s equerry in the late 1980s, when Anne was still married to her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, with whom she has children Peter and Zara.
© PA ImagesThey exchanged personal letters that were leaked to The Sun, but the contents were never published – and it is not known whether they were of a romantic nature.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying: “The stolen letters were addressed to The Princess Royal from Commander Timothy Laurence, The Queen’s Equerry. We have no comment on the contents of the personal letters sent to Her Royal Highness by a friend which were stolen and are the subject of police investigations.”
© Max Mumby/IndigoDespite the drama, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy are still happily married and live together on the Gatcombe Park Estate, a magnificent royal residence in Gloucestershire.
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