It was a royal wedding with a global audience but that didn’t stop this bride doing things exactly her own way. When Princess Anne married Timothy Laurence on December 12th 1992, she wanted low key and that’s what she had – even though the world was watching their every move.
The Princess Royal and Timothy Laurence knew there would be some interest in their royal wedding – she was the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and the first of their children to divorce and remarry. However, they had chosen a simple ceremony in a small Scottish church with thirty guests and a small reception at Balmoral to follow. And then history intervened.
Just days before they were set to say ‘I do’, the then Prime Minister, John Major, announced to the House of Commons that the heir to the throne, Charles, and his wife, Diana, were to separate. It was the culmination of what Elizabeth II called her ”annus horribilis” and it ensured that interest in Anne’s wedding would be even more intense.
And so, on December 12th, those thirty guests took a pew in Crathie Kirk on the Balmoral estate while millions watched on the news. The Church of England didn’t permit the marriage of anyone who had been divorced and whose spouse was still living at the time but the Church of Scotland did and so the Princess Royal and her fiance headed to Crathie.
The bride kept everything low key. As a second time bride, Anne chose a cream suit with a high necked jacket over a knee length dress. Her only accessories were a small spray of blossoms worn in her hair and a simple bouquet of white heather. With the world’s media descending on Crathie to catch a glimpse of the House of Windsor at its lowest ebb, Anne opted for discretion.
There was also an element of hope in there. The white heather, as well as being so emblematic of Scotland, is also meant to bring good luck.
It certainly worked. The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence are now marking 32 years of marriage and appear as content as ever. They have seen Anne’s two children marry and build families of their own and are often spotted with the Princess’ five grandchildren at family events.
It was a low key royal wedding that provided a regal happy ever after.
