Princess Anne is, reportedly, shocked and saddened by the murder of her dog trainer Debbie Zurick. Following a police confirmation of her tragic death last Saturday, Feb. 22, the Princess Royal said that she will "sorely miss" her friend.
The dog trainer worked with Princess Anne as the secretary of the Working Clumber Spaniel Society, where the Princess Royal is a patron. She trained the pup Sedgehurst Millie for the royal last August and was also the trainer of Sparkle, Princess Anne's other dog, along with her ex-husband John Zurick.
John, however, stands accused of killing his wife of 30 years, according to The Sun. Apparently, he became jealous upon learning that Debbie was seeing a new guy. He shot his wife before shooting himself as well.
The paramedics and the police were called into the Zurick house, which incidentally was Prime Minister Boris Johnson's childhood home. They were unable to save Debbie but John was airlifted to a hospital where he is still in critical condition.
Another woman is also being treated at a hospital. Police say she is a key witness to the incident.
Aside from the Princess Royal, the Prime Minister's father, Stanley Johnson, also expressed his grief over the news. He told reporters that they loved Debbie as a neighbor and they are also stunned and saddened by the tragedy.
Sources told the Daily Mail that the Zuricks split up amicably several months ago. Debbie lived in Ireland for a while and returned home for the dogs. She was also apparently asking to make their separation legal from her husband. The couple have no children together.
Another friend of the couple said that John wasn't handling the split well as he was drinking more than normal. However, no one expected that he would shoot his wife. Days before the shooting, the police apparently seized his weapons as he was arrested for a drunk-driving car crash.
Meanwhile, Princess Anne was at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool on Feb. 26 to learn of the plans to develop the area as a tourist town. The Queen's daughter visited the new extension of the restored RML 497 vessel. She also sat down with the members of the city council as they laid out plans for a new leisure hub.
According to Roslyn Adamson, the manager of the site, Princess Anne was very eager to hear about the redevelopments. The hub will also have a new museum, which will hopefully increase tourist and visitors.
