Here’s the timeline that will make your head spin. In the early 1970s, Andrew was dating Camilla Shand (yep, the future Duchess of Cornwall). But he was also very friendly with Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II. Anne was—and still is—a no-nonsense force of nature who would rather muck out a stable than attend a state banquet. So when she started seeing Andrew, it wasn’t over champagne and caviar; it was probably over a bale of hay and a conversation about horse deworming.
Now, here’s the juicy bit: Princess Anne was reportedly head-over-heels for Andrew. According to royal biographers, she even proposed to him. Yes, a princess asked a cavalry officer to marry her. But Andrew, bless his buttoned-up blazer, turned her down. Why? Because he was still tangled up with Camilla. And Camilla? She was also tangled up with a certain Prince Charles. It’s like a royal game of musical chairs, and everyone was too polite to push anyone off the furniture.
The Great Escape (via Horseback)
Anne, being Anne, didn’t cry into her tiara for long. She threw herself into her equestrian career with the kind of ferocity that would later earn her an Olympic medal. Meanwhile, Andrew married Camilla in 1973, and Charles married Diana in 1981. But here’s the kicker: Andrew and Anne stayed close friends. In fact, after Andrew and Camilla divorced in 1995, he and Anne were spotted together at countless horse events. Some tongues wagged that they were “rekindling.” But knowing Anne, she was probably just annoyed he still couldn’t tell a thoroughbred from a Shetland pony.
1,085 Andrew Parker Bowles Photos & High Res Pictures - Getty Images
Let’s talk about the man himself for a second. Andrew Parker Bowles wasn’t just a royal love interest—he was a cavalry officer, a racing manager, and a professional glutton (his words, not mine). He once bragged that he could eat a full English breakfast, a steak, and a pudding in one sitting. When asked about his relationship with Anne, he famously said, “She was a very good friend. We had a lot of laughs.” Translation: I dodged a bullet, but I’m not saying which one.
And what about Princess Anne? She married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973—a man so determined to avoid the royal spotlight that he once let a photographer take a picture of him picking his nose on a tractor. (Classy.) But even after her marriage, Anne and Andrew remained chummy. They were often seen laughing together at carriage-driving competitions, looking for all the world like two old mates who’d shared a secret—which, of course, they had.
