Princess Anne's rock

were in attendance, including her parents and three siblings, Charles and Princes Edward and Andrew, as the pair sought to avoid publicity after a year of royal scandals.

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Mr Dampier said: "When they got married it was a really strange wedding with just a handful of people there.

"It was almost as if they were hidden away.

Modest

"It was an inauspicious start because it was during the annus horribilis with all the scandals of Charles and Diana and Andrew and Fergie's marriage breaking up.

"It was almost as if they didn't want anyone to know about it. It was a rather unfortunate start but from there, he has worked quietly and tirelessly in the background to support [Princess Anne] and carve out his own role, first in the Navy and then subsequently with the War Graves Commission."

After 37 years of service, Sir Tim retired from the Navy in 2010 and focused instead on pursuing charitable and non-executive endeavours, including the chairmanship of the Science Museum Group and English Heritage.