{"id":318700,"date":"2026-02-26T18:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/318700\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:00:11","slug":"queen-camillas-ex-husband-performs-public-favour-for-princess-anne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/318700\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen Camilla’s ex-husband performs public favour for Princess Anne"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queen Camilla’s ex-husband performed a public favour for his close friend, Princess Anne, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles attended Field Marshal Lord Guthrie’s memorial service at the Guards’ Chapel in London, standing in for King Charles’s sister.<\/p>\n

The 86-year-old former cavalry officer, known as APB within Household Cavalry circles, has long served as an occasional representative for the Princess Royal.<\/p>\n

His presence at the service drew attention amid a gathering that included Lords Heseltine, Palumbo, Soames and Spencer.<\/p>\n

\"Queen<\/p>\n

Queen Camilla’s ex-husband performs public favour for Princess Anne<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

The monarchy currently faces what has been described as an unprecedented crisis, revealing which supporters remain steadfast during difficult times.<\/p>\n

Mr Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla’s first husband and a former romantic interest of Princess Anne, exemplifies such unwavering loyalty.<\/p>\n

The connection between Mr Parker Bowles and the Princess Royal stretches back more than five decades.<\/p>\n

Their romance is widely believed to have commenced during Ascot week in June 1970, a fitting beginning given both families’ passion for horses.<\/p>\n

\"Princess<\/p>\n

Princess Anne and Andrew Parker Bowles pictured together in 2025<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

The Parker Bowles family had established ties to the Windsors through the friendship between Andrew’s father, Derek, and the Queen Mother.<\/p>\n

Despite the intensity of their early relationship, a future together was never possible for the pair.<\/p>\n

Within three years of their romance beginning, Mr Parker Bowles had wed Camilla while Anne married her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips.<\/p>\n

Mr Parker Bowles’s Catholic faith presented an insurmountable obstacle to any marriage with Princess Anne.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Andrew Parker Bowles and Queen Camilla, who were previously married, pictured together last year<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

At the time, Anne stood fourth in line to the throne, bound by her position to the Church of England.<\/p>\n

Had she ever been crowned, she would have assumed the role of titular head of that church, making union with a Catholic impossible to contemplate.<\/p>\n

The religious barrier ensured their relationship could progress no further than romance.<\/p>\n

By 1973, both had moved on to marry others, with Mr Parker Bowles marrying Camilla and Anne exchanging vows with Captain Mark Phillips.<\/p>\n

\"Tom<\/p>\n

Tom Parker Bowles, Andrew Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes pictured in January 2026<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

PA<\/p>\n

The depth of their enduring bond became publicly evident in 1981 when Anne chose Mr Parker Bowles as godfather to her daughter Zara Tindall.<\/p>\n

This gesture served as a clear declaration of a friendship that has persisted to the present day.<\/p>\n

Though his age might reasonably excuse him from such duties, Mr Parker Bowles remains committed to representing the Princess Royal.<\/p>\n

Sources told the Mail he intends to soldier on in this capacity for as long as he is physically able.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen Camilla’s ex-husband performed a public favour for his close friend, Princess Anne, on Tuesday. Brigadier Andrew Parker…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318701,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,93,61,60,80503,11646,53245,40822],"class_list":{"0":"post-318700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-princess-anne","13":"tag-queen-camilla","14":"tag-royal","15":"tag-sgg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}