3 days ago
Palace gave Princess Anne two ‘secret stepchildren' in online blunder
The Palace says the fact was attributed after avoiding 'otherwise rigorous checking process'
Buckingham Palace erroneously declared that the Princess Royal had two stepchildren in an online profile marking her 75th birthday.
The piece – entitled 75 facts about the Princess Royal – included at number 14: 'Her Royal Highness also has two stepchildren from her second marriage to Sir Timothy Laurence, Tom and Amy Laurence.'
Sir Tim does not have any children, and while the Queen's son is called Tom Parker Bowles there are no known members of the extended Royal family called Amy.
'Best hidden royal secret ever'
The blunder prompted bafflement among royal watchers, who queried whether Sir Tim had children that had been sequestered away.
One social media user wrote: 'Pretty sure this is an error, but how did that happen? I can't think of any Tom and Amy siblings in the extended Royal family.' Another said: 'That would be the best hidden royal secret ever.'
An hour or so after the piece was published, it was swiftly deleted, and later updated and reposted.
A palace source said the inaccurate fact was included in error after it was inserted as a late addition and not put through the otherwise rigorous checking process.
The Telegraph was told on Friday that the offending 'fact' had been sourced from a 'reputable publication online'.
That publication is understood to be Women and Home magazine, which published incorrect information in 2023. Women and Home was contacted for comment.
The palace marked the Princess's 75th birthday with the release of a new portrait taken by John Swannell, her favoured photographer.
The King's younger sister is celebrating the milestone with a holiday, sailing around the Western Isles of Scotland with her husband.
