Princess Anne used a clever codeword “linked to past royal misbehaviour” during her alleged affair with her former protection officer, commentators have claimed. Detective Sergeant Peter Cross was removed from his position by the Palace and sent away after his relationship with the Princess Royal sparked suspicion. In Channel 5 documentary, ‘Princess Anne: The 7 Loves Of Her Life’, experts discussed the “defiant” reaction of the Queen’s daughter.
Royal biographer Angela Levin told viewers: “[Peter Cross] was obviously quite important to her at a time when her emotions were quite high.”
Narrator Phoebe Pryce explained: “Allegedly Anne wasn’t about to give up on Cross that easily.
“She summoned him to Gatcombe Park after his dismissal.
“‘A day in the country’ became code for them meeting up.”
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Daily Mail Editor-at-Large Richard Kay said: “It is said that they still met from time to time.
“Anne had a codeword so that people wouldn’t know it was her when she was telephoning.
“She would say it was Mrs Wallis.
“Was this, we all wondered, a reference to Wallis Simpson, another rather notorious figure linked to past royal misbehaviour?”
Detective Sergeant Cross maintains that he stayed in touch with Anne for several years.
Princess Anne has never commented on the allegations publicly.
However in 1983, the royal was forced to address questions about the state of her marriage with now ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips during a Michael Parkinson interview.
When asked about the rumours of divorce and unhappiness, Anne told Network 10: “Ill-informed gossip has been going on for years, in one sort or another.”
The pair did eventually divorce in 1992.
