In honor of Princess Anne’s upcoming 75th birthday, Buckingham Palace attempted to celebrate the occasion with a special post—only for it to backfire.
The Palace published a list of “75 facts” about the Princess Royal, meant to highlight her life and achievements ahead of her birthday tomorrow.
However, one particular detail in the list sparked confusion and debate among royal followers, ultimately leading to the entire post being taken down.
The Controversial Claim
The issue arose with fact number fourteen, which stated that Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles, had two stepchildren from her marriage to Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. The Palace even identified these supposed stepchildren as “Tom and Amy Laurence.”
Royal enthusiasts were quick to point out the error. Sir Tim, a retired Royal Navy officer, was never married before he wed Princess Anne in December 1992, and there has never been any public record of him having children from another relationship.
In reality, Princess Anne has two children—Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips—from her first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips.
Public Reaction and Speculation
Although the Palace swiftly removed the post from its website and deleted the tweet, cached versions still appeared on Google. Social media lit up with reactions:
One user remarked, “#14 Tom and Amy Laurence? Either I’ve gone crazy or Sir Tim Laurence has secret children.” They added, “Pretty sure this is an error, but how did that happen? I can’t think of any Tom & Amy siblings in the extended royal family.”
Another joked, “That would be the best hidden royal secret ever.” A third disputed, “This is not true. Sir Tim does not have children from a previous relationship.”
One person even speculated, “That is so odd? Could it be an AI mistake? Someone at BP made that list with ChatGPT but didn’t check it? Otherwise that would be one heck of a plot twist.”
Praise for the Princess Royal
Despite the blunder, tributes have continued to pour in for Princess Anne ahead of her milestone birthday. Charity leaders she has supported for decades and members of the royal family have praised her tireless dedication, unwavering commitment to public service, and decades-long loyalty to the Firm.
