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Heartbreaking reason Princess Diana didn't attend Princess Anne's royal wedding

Sad news was announced days before the royal wedding

Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
December 13, 2022
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There are very few occasions when royals miss their family's weddings, which tend to be huge publicised events, but there was a sad reason why Princess Anne was pictured without her sister-in-law on her big day.

The Princess Royal, 72, chose to have a very intimate ceremony when she married her second husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, 67, on 12 December 1992. Among just 30 guests who witnessed the nuptials were her close family members, including her parents the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, grandmother the Queen Mother, children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, and brothers Prince Edward and King Charles.

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The latter was not accompanied by his wife, Princess Diana, whose separation from the former Prince had been announced just three days earlier.

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Charles and Diana tied the knot in 1981, but they were leading separate lives by 1992. While rumours circulated about the breakdown of their marriage, British Prime Minister John Major confirmed their separation at the House of Commons on 9 December, simply stating: "This decision has been reached amicably and they will both continue to participate fully in the upbringing of their children." 

royal wedding princess anne

The Princess Royal and her husband Timothy Laurence got married in December 1992

It marked the same year that Anne's other brother Prince Andrew had also split from his wife Sarah Ferguson.

Anne was previously married to Captain Mark Phillips from 1973 to 1992, but she met her late mother Queen Elizabeth II's former equerry Timothy in 1986 on the Royal Yacht Britannia. They built a close friendship and exchanged "personal letters" which were stolen in 1989, the same year that Anne announced she had split from Mark.

princess diana wedding dress

Charles and Diana's split was announced three days before Anne's second wedding

After a quiet engagement, Anne and Timothy eloped to Scotland to tie the knot at Crathie Kirk church as the Church of England did not allow remarriages after divorce. The royal bride looked stunning in an unconventional short wedding dress with a white jacket, while Zara wore a bright red coat and Peter paid tribute to the Scottish location with a kilt.

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