Philip admired Anne who thought university ‘was completely overrated’

It is 33 years today since Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence wed in an enchanting Scottish winter ceremony.

She will, undoubtedly, be feeling the absence of her beloved father, the late Prince Philip, who drove her to Crathie Kirk near Balmoral for the low-key nuptials in a gesture of unconditional love and support despite it being her second wedding. 

It was another instance that highlighted the close bond between the former Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away aged 99 in April 2021, and his daughter. 

According to royal author Tom Quinn, several royal servants joked that ‘Anne was the son Philip always wanted’ while describing their relationship in his book Gilded Youth. 

The late Duke of Edinburgh was said to have deeply admired his fearless daughter’s strong work ethic and found Anne’s lack of enthusiasm towards higher education amusing. 

Mr Quinn recalled how Anne, now 75, once jokingly remarked that the idea of university ‘was completely overrated’.

While her brother, now-King Charles, attended the prestigious Cambridge University after achieving ‘very poor A Levels’, Anne outperformed him by earning three A Levels in English, History and Politics at the private girls’ boarding school Beneden School. 

Despite her results, the princess decided to skip university altogether and became a full-time working royal at the age of 18. 

In a documentary celebrating her 70th birthday, the no-nonsense Anne said she couldn’t understand why so many people go to university when they ‘didn’t have a good reason’. 

‘So many of my contemporaries, when asked why they were going to university, would say, “Well basically because that’s what you do”,’ she said in a scene from Anne: The Princess Royal at 70. 

‘I remember thinking really that doesn’t sound like a very good reason to go to university, so I thought I would skip that.’

Mr Quinn revealed that Anne was said to have ‘quickly adopted’ Philip’s ‘sayings and mannerisms’ so that she could ‘show her father that she had the qualities he admired’. 

Philip, who adored playing polo, soon developed ‘a genuine sense of admiration’ for his daughter’s love of riding and was said to have been particularly proud after she won an individual gold medal at the 1971 Burghley three-day event. 

He would reportedly tease his equestrian daughter by saying: ‘If it doesn’t fart and eat hay, she’s not interested’.

Others close to the royal duo also picked up on their similarities – with Michael Parker, Philip’s former Private Secretary, telling the Daily Mail in 2017 that, while Charles takes after his mother, ‘Anne is very much like Philip’. 

During the breakdown of her first marriage to Mark Phillips, Anne and her father’s relationship became stronger as she leaned on him for support.

The Princess Royal and Mr Phillips separated in 1989 before later divorcing in April 1992. The pair share two children: Peter and Zara Phillips. 

But unlike their mother, both Peter and Zara attended university, with Peter graduating from the University of Exeter in 2000 with a degree in Sports Science. 

Two years later, Zara achieved a physiotherapy degree from the same university. On both of her children’s respective graduation days, Anne was captured beaming with pride in the audience.  

Sir Timothy, now 70, was first introduced into the royal circle when he became the Queen’s equerry in 1986. Two years later, in 1988, Anne invited him to become a trustee of her charity, The Princess Royal Trust.

The couple went public with their romance in May 1992, a fortnight after Anne’s divorce was finalised, and were seen taking to the floor together at the Royal Caledonian Ball in London for a series of dances. 

Shortly after her divorce proceedings to Mr Phillips were publicly announced, Anne wed Sir Timothy, often lovingly dubbed ‘Sir Tim’, at Crathie Kirk church, near Balmoral on December 12, 1992. 

It was a glorious winter wedding, with traditional Scottish bagpipes played as the delighted newlyweds exited the church for their post-ceremony celebration on the Balmoral estate.  

Anne walked down the aisle in a £400 Tom Bowker jacket and skirt – the same outfit she had donned at Royal Ascot just months before. 

Meanwhile, Sir Tim wore his naval uniform for their private ceremony attended by just 30 guests. 

Since their wedding, Anne and Sir Tim have resided on the 700-acre Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.

In a poignant sign of the Royal Family’s genuine respect and affection for Sir Tim, he joined Anne on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. 

That was despite the fact that other non-working royals, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were excluded by Her Majesty from the famous balcony appearance.

Meanwhile, Anne’s unconditional love for her husband was showcased earlier this week after an image was shared of the Princess Royal’s Christmas card on the Governor of Queensland, Dr Jeannette Young’s social media accounts.

While the Princess Royal is yet to release her official Christmas card, an image shared of the season’s greetings revealed that Anne had selected a heartwarming image of her and Sir Tim.

The happy couple were captured wearing bright smiles as they rode in a carriage during their landmark visit to Sark as the Channel Islands marked Liberation Day on May 10.

The message inside the card read: ‘With Best Wishes for a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and New Year from Anne and Tim.’