Anne Robinson, 79, secretly dating Queen Camilla’s ex Andrew Parker Bowles, 83, after pair are set up by mutual friend
TELLY’S Queen of Mean Anne Robinson has found love with Queen Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
The former Weakest Link host, 79, and retired Army brigadier, 83, have been secretly dating for a year.
Andrew’s ex-wife Queen Camilla is said to support his relationship with acid-tongued Anne — who dispatched quiz contestants with the phrase: “You are the weakest link, goodbye.”
A friend of the pair, both twice-wed, said: “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.
“Annie and Andrew get on splendidly — she makes him laugh, a lot, and he is one of the few people to get away with poking fun at her.
“She loves to joke she’s ‘new money’ — despite the fact she went to boarding school, her father got a double first and she holidayed for part of the summer at The Carlton in Cannes, when not working behind her mother’s stall.
“They were set up by a mutual friend.”
The pal said Anne has hosted several dinner parties at her sprawling 17th-century barn in the Cotswolds, where Andrew has been her plus-one.
The friend added: “Annie remains fiercely independent and while she has staff, who regularly whip-up meals for the pair, she’s been impressed with Andrew’s owncooking skills.
“The Brigadier and the Queen of Mean does have a certain ring to it — but there’s no chance of them living together as she’s far too self-sufficient.”
One of the pair’s first dates was a dinner party also attended by ex-PM David Cameron and their romance is described as an “open secret”.
Retired Army officer Andrew wed Camilla in 1973. They divorced in 1995.
The couple, who remain good pals, have two grown-up children, art curator Laura and restaurant critic Tom.
Andrew later married Rosemary Pitman, who died after a four-year battle with cancer in 2010.
A legendary womaniser, much has been made of his rumoured infidelities in Netflix’s The Crown.
Series three detailed the love quadrangle between Andrew, Camilla, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. She had a fling with Andrew in 1970, by which time he had spent five years with Camilla.
Camilla embarked on a fling with Charles after they met at a polo match in Windsor that same year.
Author Jilly Cooper based champagne-swigging cad Rupert Campbell-Black in her books Riders and Rivals on her pal The Brigadier.
Andrew had one of the most distinguished Army careers of his generation and was regarded as the country’s best-looking polo player.
Anne was married to journalist Charlie Wilson for five years until their divorce in 1973. Their daughter Emma is a broadcast journalist.
Anne later wed ex-Tory MP John Penrose. They divorced in 2008 and she was forced to give him £20million as part of the settlement.
Anne’s good friend Steve Anderson said: “Yes, it’s true they are together and very happy.
“When Annie behaves herself, they are actually very sweet together. While I haven’t seen them together myself, my friend was at a dinner party with them and it’s an open secret in these aristocratic countryside circles that they’re in a relationship.
“Andrew is also one of the few people on earth brave enough to tease her, so she must like him.”
Six years ago, Anne revealed she had briefly joined dating site Tinder as part of a TV documentary.
She said: “I hope all women my age are having sex, why wouldn’t they be? It’s what keeps me young.”
The ex-newspaper columnist became the nation’s highest-paid female broadcaster in 2007 when she signed a £10million, three-year deal to continue The Weakest Link with her Queen of Mean persona.
Her other TV credits include hosting consumer affairs show Watchdog and quiz Countdown.
When approached for comment, Anne said: “It’s none of your business.”