In June 1970, Princess Anne, then 19, went on a date with a charming British Army officer, Andrew Parker Bowles. If that last name raises eyebrows, it is because he later married Camilla Shand, who took his last name and became forever known as Camilla Parker Bowles. According to Sally Bedell Smith, the author of "Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life" (via Town & Country), Parker Bowles and Camilla met in the late 1960s, a few years before he and Anne went on their first date, and dated on and off, meaning there could have been a love triangle going on at this time.
However, the relationship didn't appear to have been all that serious. In Season 3, Episode 9 of the "The Crown," Princess Anne, played by Erin Doherty, told her family that she and Andrew were only after "a bit of fun," as the Los Angeles Times detailed. The public has no way of knowing whether the interaction between young Anne and a mortified queen actually happened, but Bedell Smith confirmed the couple was never in it for the long haul, she told Elle. That's mainly because Andrew was Catholic, which made him an unlikely suitor for Queen Elizabeth II's only daughter, Bedell Smith explained. While they were brought together by their love of horses, the two never considered entering into a serious relationship that could lead to marriage, according to the outlet.
