Royal fans quickly noticed the official palace website published a glaring error about Princess Anne‘s personal life in what was meant to be a special 75th birthday celebration.
The controversy reportedly began when eagle-eyed royal watchers spotted a factual mistake in the official tribute to King Charles‘ sister, who turns 75 on Friday, August 15.
Among the “75 fascinating facts” compiled to honor the Princess Royal, fact number 14 contained information that simply wasn’t true.
The article incorrectly claimed that Princess Anne had gained two stepchildren named Tom and Amy Laurence through her second marriage to Sir Timothy Laurence.
However, when Princess Anne married Laurence in 1992, he was actually a bachelor with no children. The Princess Royal became his first and only wife, not a stepmother to non-existent children.
The real story behind Princess Anne’s marriages is quite different from what the website reportedly claimed. Anne first married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, and together they had two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall.
After 19 years of marriage, Anne and Mark divorced in 1992, and later that same year, Anne wed Sir Timothy Laurence, who had no previous children.
The error was swiftly removed from the website, according to Royal Central. Despite the mistake, the birthday tribute did include plenty of fascinating and accurate details about the hardworking royal.
The article noted that Princess Anne was born Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise at Clarence House on August 15, 1950. A heartwarming photograph accompanying the tribute shows the late Queen Elizabeth cradling baby Anne in her arms.
The piece went on to highlight several achievements and firsts in Princess Anne’s life. She was the first member of the Royal Family to appear on a television quiz show, specifically BBC’s A Question of Sport.
Perhaps even more impressively, she became the first royal to hold an HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) license and has reportedly been photographed driving a double-decker London bus.
Princess Anne’s charitable work also received well-deserved recognition in the tribute. She’s served as patron or president of more than 400 organizations worldwide. The article noted that she was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the President of Zambia in 1990.
Princess Anne has marked numerous milestones throughout the decades — and you can discover more about her journey here.