Princess Anne's very blunt response during her own engagement interview

Princess Anne was recently voted the most popular British royal, in no small part thanks to her no-nonsense temperament, dry wit and wicked sense of humour.

Her on-liners have resulted in many stand-out moments for King Charles's younger sister - one of which took place following her very own engagement announcement to first husband Captain Mark Phillips.

Anne and Mark were married on 14 November 1973 at Westminster Abbey, and went on to welcome two children together, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall.

They first met in 1968 at a party, with their engagement announced on 29 May 1973.

Anne's blunt response to reporter's marriage question

In an interview to celebrate the news, Anne and Mark - a lieutenant in the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards - were asked whether they believed their upcoming marriage could withstand the enormous pressures of public duty and media publicity.

Mark gave a measured response, stating that they had already "withstood a great deal already this year".

Princess Anne, meanwhile, interjected with a characteristically blunt, pragmatic reply: "Can? It's got to, hasn't it?"

Despite her firm retort, the marriage ultimately unravelled. The couple separated in 1989 and officially divorced in 1992. Princess Anne went on to marry Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence later that same year.

Anne and Mark's continuing friendship

Anne and Mark remain on good terms, however, and regularly reunite for family events and equestrian activities, most recently attending the wedding of their son Peter Phillips to Harriet Sperling in June. 

Furthermore, Mark lived at Aston Farm on Princess Anne's Gatcombe Park estate for 21 years after their divorce, before finally relocating.

Why did Mark Phillips finally leave Princess Anne's estate?

Captain Mark left Aston Farm and moved to the US in 2013, seemingly in order to make way for his daughter Zara Tindall and her family to move in. 

For years, Mark organised the Festival of British Eventing, hosted at The Princess Royal's home, meaning that they were closely linked in business as well as by their two children, Zara and Peter. 

Aston Farm underwent an overhaul ahead of the Tindalls moving in to modernise its facilities. It is reported to have a cinema room, a home gym and a modern kitchen inside its walls. Zara lives there with her husband Mike and their three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas. Fans get to glimpse into the property thanks to Mike's social media and Zara's occasional video calls.  

Anne and Mark's important family decision involving Peter and Zara

While Anne has avoided discussing the romantic collapse of her first marriage, she has spoken candidly in interviews (such as her 2020 Vanity Fair profile) about the foundational choices they made together as a couple.

Anne and Mark jointly decided not to accept royal titles (such as an earldom for Mark) for their children. Reflecting on it, Anne stated: "I think it was probably the right decision... I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles."

Mark and Anne's different approaches to parenting

Speaking to hosts Pippa Funnel and Tristan Phipps on the Talk Horse podcast in an episode broadcast on Thursday, equestrian Zara confessed that Anne and Mark had rather different approaches to parenting. 

Zara recently revealed that her father could be "quite critical" and "tough" towards his children growing up.  

She described how her parents wanted her to succeed with her horse riding, explaining: "Mum's [Princess Anne] very relaxed. She's like, 'Just, you know, just do what you do,' whereas my father's [Mark Phillips] like, 'More of this, more of that.'"

She added: "My father was quite critical... Very rarely you would get a, 'Yeah, that was good', out of him. So it was always striving to try and get that comment. He was a tough coach.

"My dad and my mum were like, 'But you have to do it properly. And this is how it's going to work. And you're not getting any help, and you need to produce results'."