King Charles and Queen Camilla have shared a special message for Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Timothy Laurence.
Taking to their official Instagram account, the royal couple shared two images of Sir Tim to mark his 70th birthday. The first showed him smiling in the sunshine during an official royal outing, while the second captured him alongside Princess Anne at what appeared to be a royal garden party.
© Royal FamilyIn the image, the pair are dressed in military uniforms, beaming as a military band plays.
Alongside the images were the words: “Wishing a Happy 70th Birthday to Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence!”—complete with a birthday cake emoji. This marks a rare public exchange between Their Majesties and Sir Tim.
© Royal FamilyTim married the Princess Royal in 1992, the same year she announced her divorce from her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, the father of Anne’s children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
While Anne and Sir Tim do not have any children together, the former equerry appears to share a close relationship with Peter and Zara.
Peter spoke warmly about his mother and stepfather’s relationship in an ITV documentary honouring the Princess Royal’s 70th birthday in 2020.
He said: “They both have an understanding of what being part of the wider family means and what is required.”
Adding: “He’s been a very strong support for her.”
© Alan Davidson/ShutterstockSpeaking about marrying into the royal family, Sir Tim said in the documentary: “The similarities with Princess Anne’s father [Prince Philip] are much talked about, but what is less spoken about are the similarities with her mother, the Queen [Elizabeth II]. The common theme is humour and fun.”
He added: “One of the great surprises for me when I first went to Balmoral, Sandringham, and Windsor was that these places are full of laughter.”
Anne and Sir Tim also share an appreciation for sport. “We both follow with great enthusiasm the Scottish rugby team,” Sir Tim said, with Anne rarely missing a match.
