Princess Anne and Captian Mark Phillips on balcony of Buckingham Palace after Royal Wedding (Image: Sunday Mail)
Princess Anne has been busy this week meeting with Gurkha personnel and their families during a visit to Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire. The Princess Royal, 73, is King Charles’ younger sister and is a well-loved Royal figure and is often hailed as the most industrious member of The Firm.
She is currently married to ex-Royal Navy officer Sir Tim Laurence, whom she married in 1992. However, her two children – Peter Phillips, 46, and Zara Tindall, 43 – are from her first marriage to Mark Phillips, 75, an Olympic gold medal-winning equestrian.
Anne and Phillips tied the knot in 1973 after meeting five years prior. Despite their relationship being under strain, they separated in 1989.
Anne had no plans to divorce, but the situation changed in 1991 when it was revealed that Phillips had fathered a child with a New Zealand art teacher.
Princess Anne and Zara Tindall (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Felicity Tonkin was born in 1985 to Heather Tonkin, who had a brief encounter with Phillips in 1984. Her identity was concealed for six years, but when the truth came out, it sparked one of the most significant Royal scandals ever, reports .
The pair initially met at an Auckland riding clinic and became friends. The affair occurred when he returned a year later, reportedly leaving his riding boots outside his hotel room door so Tonkin could locate him.
Reports indicate that Phillips initially proposed an abortion and then proceeded to make monthly payments for the child’s upkeep. However, Tonkin went public in 1991, with DNA tests confirming Felicity as the daughter of Anne’s husband.
Latest reports suggest that Felicity has never met her step-siblings Zara and Peter. It is said that the duo share a good relationship with Stephanie Phillips, their half-sister from their father’s second marriage to Sandy Pflueger.
Despite maintaining a low profile, Stephanie requested Peter and Zara’s children to be flower girls at her wedding and even extended an invitation to Anne for the occasion.