The Queen is well-known for having a very close bond with her children's spouses, whether it is her undeniable connection with Prince Edward 's wife, The Countess of Wessex, or the unprecedented move she made to support The Duchess of Cornwall's future as Queen Consort.
Her Majesty's only son-in-law is Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence and he has known the monarch for many years, not only because of his marriage to The Princess Royal - but because he used to work for her.
Working with members of the Royal Family is the dream job for many, but what happens if you grow closer to one of them than you are supposed to do?
Scandalous romances between members of staff and the royals themselves are nothing new - just look at Princess Margaret and Group Captain Peter Townsend in the 1950s.
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article27204101.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Chelsea-Pensioners-Founders-Day-Parade.jpg)
What do you think about the Royal Family? Let us know in the comments...
Looking back at 1989, new rumours of a relationship between a member of royal staff and The Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, began to emerge following the release of stolen personal letters.
While the news saw enormous backlash, the relationship between the pair continued to grow and they have been happily married since 1992.
On March 1, 1955, Timothy James Hamilton Laurence was born in Camberwell, England. Following his education, he entered the Navy and served on many notable ships.
Laurence gained his first staff position in 1986 when he was made an equerry to The Queen and held this role until September 1989. An equerry is a senior officer of the Armed Forces who is appointed to attend to and assist senior members of The Royal Family.
And given the closeness that an equerry has to the family, romances are likely to take place every now and then. The first whispers of a closeness between Laurence and Princess Anne - who was still married to first husband Captain Mark Phillips at the time - came when personal letters were stolen.
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article26801805.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_PNG-BRITAIN-ROYALS.jpg)
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article22522815.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/1_JS216932427.jpg)
Love the royals? Click here to sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news...
Buckingham Palace issued a statement at the time which read: "The stolen letters were addressed to the Princess Royal by Commander Timothy Laurence, the Queen's Equerry.
"We have nothing to say about the contents of personal letters sent to Her Royal Highness by a friend which were stolen and which are the subject of a police investigation."
Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, announced their separation in 1989 and they later obtained a divorce in April 1992. Timothy Laurence married Princess Anne at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle in Scotland on December 12, 1992, in a service that was attended by roughly 30 guests.
The couple have been married for almost 30 years and live together at an apartment in St James's Palace, as well as at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire. Timothy is often seen at Princess Anne's side as he frequently joins her on her many royal engagements around the country.
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article27132574.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Platinum-Jubilee.jpg)
Her Majesty The Queen recently gave her son-in law special permission to join her on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the Trooping the Colour parade to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
It had previously been announced that the monarch had moved to only allow working royals to join her for the flypast, but made a special exception for Tim, two of her grandchildren and three of her great-grandchildren.
A Palace spokesman explained the decision and said: “In addition the Cambridge and Wessex children are also expected to appear as is Sir Tim Laurence, who the Queen is happy to attend as a frequent attendee and support for the Princess Royal on official engagements.”
Much like The Queen, Sir Tim is well-known for his good sense of humour and had crowds in stitches last month when he stood in for Princess Anne at Founder's Day at The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Giving the speech, he joked: "Asking me to stand in for my wife at an event like this is a bit like asking Mrs Harry Kane to lead the England football team out.
"Or, possibly, to take a penalty for England as her husband did the night before last. I don't know Mrs Kane, and for all I know she may well have a very strong right foot, but in any case I'm sure she'd do her best, and so will I."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk