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Buckingham Palace Forced to Delete Princess Anne's Page From Website After Fans Spot Awkward Error

Princess Anne’s 75th birthday on August 15 has kept the royal family on their toes as they look to honor her dedication to the Crown. On August 11, the royal family’s social media shared stunning portraits of her, celebrating her many achievements over the years. Buckingham Palace’s website soon followed suit with 'fun facts' about her life and family. However, eagle-eyed royal watchers spotted a major blunder. 

As reported by Royal Central, midway through the list of lesser-known facts about the Princess Royal, the royal family website asked whether anyone knew that Anne is a stepmother to two children from her second husband’s first marriage. While the answer was an obvious no, the site claimed that she was, in fact, stepmother to two previously unheard and nonexistent people, Tom and Amy Laurence. Royal watchers were left scratching their heads, as Anne's husband, Sir Timothy Lawrence, is not known to have been married or to have had any offspring before his union with the Princess. The couple also has no biological children of their own. After heavy trolling from fans, the Palace promptly deleted the page.

After the Palace's not-so-sly cover-up, royal watchers took to X (formerly Twitter) to point out the embarrassing misstep. A netizen commented, "Makes you wonder WHO is updating the royal website? Does Tim have secret children? Was Press/Comms secretary double-checking info before it was posted??" Meanwhile, one argued, "I get some young person, who just started, may not know a lot of Anne’s life. But you should know enough to catch an error about stepchildren." Another suggested, "I think Mark Phillips had 2 other children. So, right numbers, wrong husband." As the comments poured in, a fan quipped, "Assuming they ignore social media (and regular news) while on holiday, HRH and Sir Tim are in for a surprise when they return." 

Sir Lawrence, a Royal Navy officer, first met Anne while serving as an equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth in the mid-1980s. Their relationship blossomed following the breakdown of her first marriage to Mark Phillips, with whom she shares two children. The secret romance became public in 1989 when a few stolen love letters of the pair were leaked to the press while Anne was still legally married to Phillips. Unfazed by the scandal, the Princess Royal wed Lawrence on December 12, 1992, at Crathie Kirk, cementing their enduring love and partnership.

As for Anne's 75th birthday tribute, the royal family’s Instagram account posted a carousel featuring Anne and her family. The caption read, "As we celebrate the Princess Royal turning 75 this week, swipe to find out more about the life and work of Her Royal Highness." According to PEOPLE, the royals likely marked the occasion early to avoid crossover with the 80th anniversary of VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, which falls on the same date as her birthday.