Princess Anne divorced her first husband, Mark Phillips, in 1992, and despite marrying a new man, Sir Timothy Laurence, in that same year, her ex-husband Mark remained living at her royal estate, Gatcombe Park.
The divorced couple agreed that he would reside in Aston Farm on the estate, while Anne and her new husband stayed at the main house. It was only 21 years later that Mark finally moved out – and here's the real reason why…
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesCaptain Mark Phillips left Aston Farm and moved to the US in 2013, but it seems it was only to make way for his daughter Zara Tindall and her family to move in. Mark was clearly very settled there before that, and the arrangement seemed to work for Anne, too – after all, the estate is rather large! For years, Mark organised the Festival of British Eventing, hosted at The Princess Royal's home, meaning that they were closely linked in business as well as by their two children, Zara and Peter.
Aston Farm then underwent an overhaul ahead of the Tindalls moving in to modernise its facilities. It is reported to have a cinema room, a home gym and a modern kitchen inside its walls. Zara lives there with her husband Mike and their three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas. Fans get to glimpse into the property thanks to Mike's social media and Zara's occasional video calls.
When Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips announced their separation in August 1989 after 16 years of marriage, they issued a brief, famously understated official joint statement: "Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, and Capt. Mark Phillips have decided to separate on terms agreed between them. There are no plans for divorce proceedings."
While Anne has avoided discussing the romantic collapse of her first marriage, she has spoken candidly in interviews (such as her 2020 Vanity Fair profile) about the foundational choices they made together as a couple:
"Anne and Mark jointly decided not to accept royal titles (such as an earldom for Mark) for their children. Reflecting on it, Anne stated: "I think it was probably the right decision... I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles."
'Critical' approach to parenting
Zara recently revealed that her father could be "quite critical" and "tough" towards his children growing up.
Speaking to hosts Pippa Funnel and Tristan Phipps on the Talk Horse podcast in an episode broadcast on Thursday, equestrian Zara confessed that Anne and Mark had rather different approaches to parenting.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesShe described how her parents wanted her to succeed with her horse riding, explaining: "Mum's [Princess Anne] very relaxed. She's like, 'Just, you know, just do what you do,' whereas my father's [Mark Phillips] like, 'More of this, more of that.'"
She added: "My father was quite critical... Very rarely you would get a, 'Yeah, that was good', out of him. So it was always striving to try and get that comment. He was a tough coach.
"My dad and my mum were like, 'But you have to do it properly. And this is how it's going to work. And you're not getting any help, and you need to produce results'."
