Princess Anne ‘Banned’ From Marrying ‘Intriguing’ Andrew Parker Bowles Despite Happy Relationship

Prince Anne was linked to at least two men decades ago. And her wonderful relationship with both of them was followed by the press.

In the documentary “The Real Princess Anne,” the narrator revealed how the royal fans were fascinated by Princess Royal’s personal life. When she started hanging out with Olympic gold medalist Richard Meade, the possibility of marriage came to light because they shared the same passion for riding horses.

When Princess Anne and Andrew Parker Bowles started dating, the press also became curious if their relationship could lead to the altar. But they soon learned that this could not be the case.

“He and Anne were often seen together, but he was a Roman Catholic, and for a royal that effectively put marriage out of the question,” the narrator said.

But decades later, the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 changed the royal rules when it came to Roman Catholics. Members of the British clan were no longer banned from marrying them. The act also revealed that the first six people in the line of succession are the only ones who needed to ask Queen Elizabeth’s permission to tie the knot.

Princess Anne first time the knot with Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. At that time, she was fourth in line to the throne. Even though she’s older than Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, female royals were outranked by their male siblings. With the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, this also changed.

For instance, Princess Charlotte outranks Prince Louis in the order of succession since she’s older than her younger brother. But Prince George outranks Princess Charlotte because he’s older and because he will become King in the future.

Meanwhile, following Princess Anne and Bowles’ split, the latter got into a relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, and they eventually tied the knot. Their marriage blessed them with two children together. However, Camilla divorced her first husband shortly after, and she’s now married to Prince Charles.