Sir Timothy Laurence at 70: Inside the life of Princess Anne’s rock and his crucial role

He’s been Princess Anne’s rock for decades, quietly supporting his wife of over 30 years at staple royal events and through difficult personal moments, but what is the story behind stalwart Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence?

Good humoured, kind and reliable are just a few of the many descriptions of the former Royal Navy officer.

Some have even affectionately referred to him as the “invisible man” as he provides unwavering support to Britian’s hardest-working royal without ever putting himself centre stage.

“Anne couldn’t have carried out 4-500 engagements a year without his support, which has been essential,” says veteran royal author and journalist Phil Dampier. “There’s no mistaking that he is her rock and has been there for her through some very difficult times.”

Over the past few years, the Princess Royal, 74, has lost both of her parents, Prince Philip in April 2021 when restrictions were still in place and the great Queen Elizabeth II just over a year later. At both funerals he was never far away from his wife, providing much-needed support at a seminal moment.

Last year she supported her family through it’s unprecendented health crisis the best way she knew how, by keeping calm and carrying on. She’s coped with the trials and tribulations of the past four years as many would expect, stoically and without emotion – Anne is, afterall, very much her mother’s daughter.

But the true test came last June, when she was hospitalised with severe concussion and a minor head injury after Sir Tim found her uncounscious on the grounds of her Gatcombe Park estate.

“He was very, very concerned for her,” a royal source said. “And his quick action meant that she got to hospital and was treated quickly.”

To this day, Anne has no recollection of what happened to her on that Sunday afternoon, but doctors believe her head injury was caused by a kick from a horse.

Sir Tim visited her at Southmead hospital in Bristol, bringing her home comforts and a cooler bag full of “treats” from home.

“He handled press queries with ease,” says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, as he commented on his deftness to update the press on how she was doing. “She’s doing fine,” Sir Tim would tell them, on his daily visits to the hospital.

Anne was back to work within two weeks but the incident is understood to have left her shaken and served as a sobering reminder that “every day is a bonus”. Discussing the incident in an interview following her two-day visit to South Africa in January, she said: “It just reminds you, shows you – you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover.”

Last month, she returned to the hospital to thank the staff who treated her, where she revealed that she was treated in intenstive care during her five-night stay.

But it’s not just recently that Sir Tim has supported his wife and her family, he’s been her strength and stay after what Mr Dampier describes as “an inauspicious start”.

Growing up in Kent, Sir Tim followed in his father’s footsteps by embarking on an impressive career in the Royal Navy that saw him progress quickly through the ranks. He commanded four warships, worked for the Ministry of Defence and even spent three years as an equerry to Queen Elizabeth – which is where his path crossed with her daughter.

At the time Anne was still married to Captain Mark Phillips, the father of her two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, though the couple rarely appeared in public together and were their time apart didn’t go unnoticed by the public.

Anne and Sir Tim met while he was serving aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia as an equerry and their relationship became public in April 1989 when letters from the then Commander were stolen from Anne’s briefcase and given to newspapers. The romantic letters were never published, with Buckingham Palace simply stating they were “personal letters sent by a friend”.

It caused an outrage and some ardent royalists even called for Sir Tim to be tried for treason for having an affair with the Queen’s daughter. Sources close to the naval officer, who was living in Winchester at them time, then revealed Anne had visited him at home. The princess separated from Captain Mark Phillips shortly afterwards.

After their divorce in April 1992 – during Queen Elizabeth’s annus horriblis – Anne subtly announced her relationship with Sir Tim and they made their public debut just a month later.

Their low-key wedding came shortly afterwards, on December 12, 1992 in a quiet ceremony at Crathie Parish Church, near Balmoral in Scotland. In tying the knot again, Anne had become the first member of the Royal Family to remarry after a divorce since Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in 1533.

Just 30 guests were in attendance, including her parents and three siblings, as the pair sought to avoid publicity after a year of royal scandals.

Mr Dampier said: “When they got married in 1992 it was a really strange wedding with just a handful of people there. It was almost as if they were hidden away. It was an inauspicious start because it was during the annus horriblis with all the scandals of Charles and Diana and Andrew and Fergie’s marriage breaking up.

“It was almost as if they didn’t want anyone to know about it. It was a rather unfortunate, inauspicious start but from there he has worked quietly and tirelessly in the background to support her [Princess Anne] and carve out his own role, first in the navy and then subsequently with the War Graves Commission – but mainly being on hand to support her.”

After 37 years of service, Sir Tim retired from the Navy in 2010 and focused instead on pursuing charitable and non-executive endeavours. Though he has never been a working member of the Firm, he holds key roles such as chairman of the Science Museum Group, is a trustee of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and HMS Victory and was chairman of English Heritage from 2015-2022.

He also dedicated himself Commonwealth War Graves Commission for eight years, serving as Vice Chairman from 2016-2019, a role Mr Dampier described as “hugely important”.

“His service is recognised by his frequent appearances on the Buckingham Palace Balcony and the awarding of a KCVO as well as the Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth,” says Mr Fitzwilliams. “He is modest and unassuming and that suits him and Princess Anne perfectly.”

The late Queen was understood to be very fond of Sir Tim, and a sign of her affection was seen by his invitation to join the senior members of the Firm on the Buckingham Palace balcony – despite not being a working royal.

“Queen Elizabeth was extremely happy that Anne found a stable partner after the failure of her first marriage,” Mr Dampier says as he noted how easily he was able to fit into the royal fold due to his experience as an equerry. “He was able to slot in well with the family, who are all very fond of him, as he knew the ropes in terms of protocool and how to act around them.”

Anne’s biographer Brian Hoey described Sir Tim as having a ‘chameleon-like’ quality that enabled him to assimilate into the Royal Family ‘without causing a ripple.’

Despite having no children of his own, Sir Tim has struck up a close relationship with Anne’s two children over the years.

In a documentary to mark the Princess Royal’s 70th birthday, Peter heaped praise on Sir Tim for his unwavering support of his mother.

“He’s been a very stong support for her,” he said, adding that the pair: “Both have an understanding of what being a part of the wider family means and what is required.”

Speaking in ITV’s Anne: The Princess Royal at 70, Sir Tim said they get on because they are “both map and chart people”. He explained: “We like to know where we are and see where we are going.”

At home at their 700-acre Gloucestershire estate, the life they share is more one of ordinary domesticity than royal extravagance.

While Sir Tim doesn’t share his wife’s love of horses, they do share a passion for sailing, yachting and rugby, and as Anne is a long-time patron of Scottish rugby, they’re often spotted in the stands cheering on the team. During lockdown, Buckingham Palace released a picture of the couple watching the rugby on an old-fashioned TV in a room cluttered with ornaments, books and other everyday objects.

And that’s where the pair are understood to be marking Sir Tim’s 70th birthday today. A private, understated affair with their nearest and dearest, for a man who’s always shunned the limelight.

Sir Tim has been a near-constant presence by Anne’s side over the decades, something that will only continue as the grandmother of five shows no signs of ever slowing down. “I don’t think there’s a retirement programme on this particular life,” she said after being asked if she planned to scale down her commitments.

But that won’t bother her husband, whose steadfast support, commitment, love and laughter will enable Anne to continue her work for many years to come.