Inside Anne Robinson and Andrew Parker Bowles' unlikely romance

Release time：2024-05-19 09:52:59 Source：Earth Echo news portal

They've remained tight-lipped about their romance after rumours began to fly at the end of last year.

But Anne Robinson has now confirmed she is dating Queen Camilla's ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles - and some details of their meeting are rather unlikely.

Unconfirmed reports at the end of last year suggested the former Weakest Link host, 79, and the retired cavalry officer, 84, were in a relationship.

Robinson has now told Saga magazine that this is the case, saying: 'Yes. Full stop. Mind your own business.' 

The interview comes as Robinson is announced as the publication's new agony aunt, a role she will take on from their June issue.

Unconfirmed reports at the end of last year suggested the former Weakest Link host (above), 79, and the retired cavalry officer, 84, were dating

Parker Bowles married Camilla in 1973 and they had two children together, Tom and Laura, before divorcing in 1995

Speaking about returning to the dating pool in her seventies, after being single for more than a decade, she told Saga: 'I'd been out of the game for so long. And also I don't drink. If you don't drink, you're not as reckless are you?

'I'm a great believer in surprising yourself by taking risks. Personally and professionally. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the worst that can happen is you get some egg on your face, that's not terrible is it?'

Details of Robinson's relationship with Parker Bowles are scarce, but they are understood to have met at a lunch the ex-Weakest Link presenter hosted for her brother and his old school friends in 2022.

As per the Telegraph, their unlikely matchmaker was in fact a retired monk, Father Felix Stevens, who attended Ampleforth boarding school with Robinson's brother Peter.

He had suggested that she invite fellow alumni Parker Bowles.

Although Robinson and Parker Bowles have reportedly been dating for around 20 months, they have gone out of their way to keep their relationship quiet.

However, their romance is understood to have been an open secret within society circles in the Cotswolds, where they both live - 30 miles apart.

Despite the low-key appearance, it has been reported that they have attended high-society dinner parties together, with the likes of Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron in attendance.

Camilla (left) meets Anne Robinson at the 2013 Man Booker Prize for Fiction reception. 

Robinson became known for delivering cutting remarks to contestants and her catchphrase 'you are the weakest link, goodbye' when she presented the quiz show, which was first broadcast in 2000 before ending 12 years later

A mutual friend told the Sun: 'They have judiciously avoided being photographed together as they both wanted to keep this quiet for as long as possible.

'Annie proudly tells everyone she is the daughter of a market trader chicken-seller and is as far removed from a toff as could be. Frankly, it beats any storyline The Crown could possibly come up with.'

The source added that she remained 'fiercely independent and self-sufficient' and there was 'no chance' of the pair moving in together.

Robinson became known for delivering cutting remarks to contestants and her catchphrase 'you are the weakest link, goodbye' when she presented the quiz show, which was first broadcast in 2000 before ending 12 years later.

On why dating can be easier in older age, she told Saga: 'You're much more selective about what you're going to get into a tizz about. Nothing matters that much. You're not going to change.'

Parker Bowles and the Queen have remained friends, with the former army officer among the select guest list for the King's coronation

Robinson previously hosted Channel 4 quiz show Countdown, becoming its sixth presenter and the first female to take the role, before stepping down in 2022 having recorded 265 episodes of the show. 

She was previously married to the late Charles Wilson, a former journalist and newspaper executive, until 1973 and got from divorced her second husband, John Penrose, in 2007.

Parker Bowles married Camilla in 1973 and they had two children together, Tom and Laura, before divorcing in 1995.

The King, who was divorced from Diana, Princess of Wales in 1996, wed Camilla in April 2005 at the Guildhall in Windsor.

Parker Bowles and the Queen have remained friends, with the former army officer among the select guest list for the King's coronation.

The Queen is said to have been amused by the unusual pairing, but also supportive. 

The interview is in June's issue of Saga magazine.

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