Peter Phillips Explained

Peter Phillips
Birth Date:15 November 1977
Birth Place:St Mary's Hospital, London, England
Alma Mater:University of Exeter
Children:2
Father:Mark Phillips
Mother:Anne, Princess Royal

Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November 1977) is a British businessman. He is the son of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips, the eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, and a nephew of King Charles III. At the time of his birth, he was 5th in the line of succession to the British throne; as of February 2024, he is 18th.

Phillips attended the University of Exeter before working at Jaguar Racing. He is a managing director for SEL UK, a boutique sports management company. He married Autumn Kelly, a Canadian management consultant, in 2008 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. They have two children together, separated in 2019, and divorced in 2021.

Early life and education

Peter Phillips was born at 10:46 am on 15 November 1977, in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, London. He was the first child of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, who had married in 1973.[1] At the time of his birth, there was a 41-gun salute from the Tower of London.[1] He was baptised on 22 December 1977 by the Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace.[2] His godparents were his maternal uncle, Prince Charles; Geoffrey Tiarks; Captain Hamish Lochore; Lady Cecil Cameron of Lochiel and Jane Holderness-Roddam.[3]

Phillips was fifth in line to the throne at birth and remained so until the birth of his cousin Prince William in 1982. His parents were said to have refused offers from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II that would have led to his being born in the peerage. Phillips was the first legitimate grandchild of a monarch in more than 500 years to be born without a title or courtesy title.[1] Phillips has a younger sister, Zara Tindall (née Phillips; born 1981), and two younger half-sisters, Felicity Wade (née Tonkin; born 1985),[4] the daughter of Mark Phillips and his former mistress Heather Tonkin; and Stephanie Phillips (born 1997), the daughter from his father's second marriage to Sandy Pflueger.

Phillips went to Port Regis Prep School in Shaftesbury, Dorset before following some of his family by attending Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland. Whilst at Gordonstoun, he was chosen to be head boy.[5] During his gap year, he went to Sydney and worked for Sports Entertainment Limited (SEL), a company to which he would later return; he also worked for Jackie Stewart's Formula One racing team during that time.[6] Phillips represented Scotland at rugby union at youth and junior level in the mid-1990s.[7]

He attended the University of Exeter and graduated with a degree in Sports Science.[8] He played for the Exeter University rugby league team.

Career

After his graduation in 2000, Phillips worked for Jaguar as corporate hospitality manager and then for Williams racing team, where he was sponsorship accounts manager.[5] [8] [9] He left Williams in September 2005, for a job as a manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh.[8] In March 2012, he left RBS to take on a role as managing director at SEL UK.[10]

In August 2012, he was guest of honour at the Rugby league Challenge Cup Final between Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos at Wembley.[11]

In the year leading up to June 2016, Phillips was responsible for organising the "Patron's Lunch", in celebration of the Queen's 90th birthday. It included a parade down The Mall and a hamper picnic for 10,000 guests.[12]

In January 2020, Phillips appeared in an advertisement for Chinese company Bright Food. In the video, he uses his status as a "British royal family member" to promote the company's milk, while surrounded by luxury.[13]

Personal life

Phillips dated Elizabeth Lorio, a cod liver oil heiress from the United States, for two years. In 2001 they lived together for eight months. Later, he had a four-month relationship with Tara Swain, a flight attendant.[14]

In 2003, Phillips met Autumn Kelly, a Canadian management consultant, at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.[5] Their engagement was announced on 28 July 2007.[8] [15]

Kelly, who was raised in the Catholic Church, was received into the Church of England before her marriage. If she had been Roman Catholic at the time of the marriage, Phillips would have lost his place in the line of the succession to the throne because of since-repealed[16] terms of the Act of Settlement 1701.[17] [18] [19] Shortly before their wedding, the couple were interviewed and photographed by Hello! magazine, and were reported to have been paid £500,000, resulting in some concern in royal circles.[20] [21] [22] They married on 17 May 2008 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.[22] [23] The service was conducted by David Conner, the Dean of Windsor.[24] The couple lived in Hong Kong after Phillips changed positions within the Royal Bank of Scotland and became head of their sponsorships activities in the region.[25]

Their first child, and the Queen's first great-grandchild, a daughter named Savannah Anne Kathleen, was born on 29 December 2010 at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.[26] [27] The Queen was present for the baby's baptism, which took place on 23 April 2011 at Church of the Holy Cross in Avening, Gloucestershire, near Gatcombe Park, the home of Phillips' mother. Savannah was born 12th in the line to the throne and is now 19th.[28] On 29 March 2012, the couple's second daughter, Isla Elizabeth, was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. She was born 13th in the line to the throne and is now 20th.[29]

On 11 February 2020, Phillips and his wife confirmed that they had separated in 2019 and announced they were planning to divorce.[30] [31] The divorce was settled on 14 June 2021.[32]

After his divorce, Phillips began a relationship with Lindsay Wallace in 2021, with whom he made his official debut as a couple at the Epsom Derby in June 2022.[33] The two ended their relationship in 2024.[34]

On 17 September 2022, during the period of official mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, Phillips joined his sister and six cousins to mount a 15-minute vigil around the coffin of their grandmother as it lay in state at Westminster Hall.[35] On 19 September 2022, he joined the Queen's children and other senior members of the royal family in walking behind the cortege in the state funeral procession.[36]

By June 2024, Phillips had introduced King Charles and Queen Camilla to his partner, NHS paediatric nurse and freelance writer Harriet Sperling (née Sanders), great-great niece of Raymond Courage, Lord of the Manor of Edgcote.[37]

Honours

Arms

Notes:These arms were granted to Peter William Garside Phillips, the father of Mark Phillips and grandfather of Peter Mark Andrew Phillips, in October 1973. Mark used these arms differenced with a three-point label, and the younger Peter with a five-point label, until Mark inherited the plain arms in 1998.[39] [40]
Crest:On a Wreath of the colours, a spur rowed upward or, winged argent, enclosing a lozenge encharged with a label gules.
Coronet:Phillips is entitled to use the coronet of a female-line grandchild of the sovereign.[41]
Escutcheon:Per chevron azure and Or, in chief a horse courant argent, and in base a sprig of forget-me-not flowers, slipped and leaved proper.
Motto:Pro rege et patria (For king and country).

Notes and References

  1. News: 1977: Princess Anne gives birth to Master Phillips. BBC News. 15 November 1977. 9 August 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060416103647/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/15/newsid_2539000/2539937.stm. 16 April 2006. live.
  2. News: The Princess Royal: Marriage and Family . The British Monarchy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070630231134/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5599.asp . 30 June 2007.
  3. News: Buckingham Palace Press Release . The British Monarchy . 8 April 2004 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020180635/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3081.asp . 20 October 2013.
  4. News: Zara Tindall's 'secret' nephew born in NZ. The New Zealand Herald. 20 August 2017. 12 August 2020. Wade, former Tonkin, is the daughter of Mark Phillips - also father to Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren Zara Tindall and her brother Peter Phillips..
  5. News: Profile – Peter Phillips. Hello!. July 2001. 9 August 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061103215101/http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/peterphillips/. 3 November 2006. live.
  6. Book: Knightley . Emma . Coco . Tatiana . Peter Phillips: The Life of the First-Born Grandson of Queen Elizabeth II . 14 November 2017 . 9 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181209143551/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43182043-peter-phillips . 9 December 2018 . en . Kindle . live.
  7. Web site: Rugby cap for Peter Phillips. The Herald. 29 November 1995. 13 August 2023.
  8. News: Princess Anne's son set to marry. BBC News. 28 July 2007. 28 July 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070808091600/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6920860.stm. 8 August 2007. live.
  9. News: Peter Phillips Profile. Royal Jubbly. dead. https://archive.today/20121223213754/http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~rc391/jubbly/faces/faces_aw_3.html. 23 December 2012.
  10. Web site: Peter Phillips. LinkedIn. 15 July 2012.
  11. Cup to get Royal seal of approval. Rugby Football League. 20 August 2012. 20 August 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120821011830/http://www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/25966/cup-to-get-royal-seal. 21 August 2012. dead.
  12. News: My street party for Granny (aka The Queen). Camilla. Tominey. 5 June 2016. Daily Express. London. 6 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20170912191500/http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/676891/peter-phillips-my-street-party-Granny-aka-Queen. 12 September 2017. live.
  13. News: Queen's grandson Peter Phillips flogs royal connections in Chinese milk ad. Sky News. Rebecca. Taylor. 21 January 2020. 21 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200121133905/https://news.sky.com/story/queens-grandson-peter-phillips-flogs-royal-connections-in-chinese-milk-ad-11913938. 21 January 2020. live.
  14. News: So who should William woo?. The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 7 May 2003. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070917123753/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=519302003. 17 September 2007.
  15. News: Publicity-shy Peter to be Queen's first grandchild to wed. Laura. Clout. The Daily Telegraph. London. 30 July 2007. 22 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20071223124354/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F07%2F30%2Fnsloane330.xml. 23 December 2007. dead.
  16. Web site: Succession to the Crown Act 2013, Section 2.
  17. News: A royal marriage dilemma – Phillips may renounce succession. Jonathan. Petre. The Daily Telegraph. London. 3 August 2007. 11 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20080225123135/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F08%2F03%2Fnpeter103.xml. 25 February 2008. dead.
  18. News: Peter's fiancée converts to save succession. Andrew. Pierce. The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 May 2008. 11 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20081211112027/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/1915827/Peter-Phillips's-fianc%C3%A9e-Autumn-Kelly-converts-to-save-succession.html. 11 December 2008. dead.
  19. News: Royal fiancee changes her faith. 30 October 2015. BBC News. 1 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20151208020908/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7378556.stm. 8 December 2015. live.
  20. News: Pierce. Andrew. Queen halts celebrity magazine deals after Peter Phillips - Autumn Kelly Hello! wedding. 30 October 2015. The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20151211051617/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/2004590/Queen-halts-celebrity-magazine-deals-after-Peter-Phillips-Autumn-Kelly-Hello-wedding.html. 11 December 2015. live.
  21. News: Autumn Kelly, Peter Phillip's fiance. Andrew. Pierce. The Daily Telegraph. London. 17 May 2008. 1 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210185220/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/1962810/Profile-Autumn-Kelly,-Peter-Phillip's-fiance.html. 10 February 2009. dead.
  22. News: Royal marries in Windsor wedding. BBC News. 17 May 2008. 17 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080518081959/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7406008.stm. 18 May 2008. live.
  23. News: Daniela. Relph. A thoroughly modern royal wedding. 30 October 2015. BBC News. 18 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20151210211502/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/7406783.stm. 10 December 2015. live.
  24. News: Queen will meet Prince Harry's girlfriend Chelsy Davy at Peter Phillips wedding. Andrew. Pierce. BBC News. 17 May 2008. 1 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20081211113201/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/1969472/Queen-will--meet-Prince-Harry%27s-girlfriend-Chelsy-Davy--at-Peter-Phillips-wedding.html. 11 December 2008. dead.
  25. News: Phillips to lead RBS regional sponsorship . Arun . Sudhaman . brandrepublic.asia . 20 August 2008 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081201092433/http://www.brandrepublic.asia/Media/Newsarticle/2008_08/Phillips-to-lead-RBS-regional-sponsorship/32264 . 1 December 2008 .
  26. News: Mrs Peter Phillips has given birth to a baby girl, 30 December 2010 . British Monarchy . 30 December 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101230215844/http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2010/MrsPeterPhilipshasgivenbirthtoababygirl30December2.aspx . 30 December 2010.
  27. News: First Great-grandchild for Queen. BBC News. 30 December 2010. 20 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180622153944/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12093479. 22 June 2018. live.
  28. Web site: Royal Wedding: Before the big event, a christening . Daily Express . London . 26 April 2011 . Palmer . Richard . 26 May 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110429074202/http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/242948/Before-the-big-event-a-christening . 29 April 2011 . live .
  29. News: Queen a great-grandmother again. ITV News. 30 March 2012. 16 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180425114551/http://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-03-30/queen-a-great-grandmother-again//. 25 April 2018. live.
  30. News: Queen's grandson Peter Phillips 'to split from his wife' after 12 years. The Times. London. subscription. Ellery. Ben. 11 February 2020. 11 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200212125458/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queens-grandson-peter-phillips-to-split-from-his-wife-after-12-years-p5gbc3hpk. 12 February 2020. live.
  31. News: Queen's grandson and his wife to divorce. Clifford. John. 11 February 2020. BBC News. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200211123231/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51459492. 11 February 2020.
  32. News: Gallagher. Sophie. 14 June 2021. Divorce settled for Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/peter-phillips-autumn-divorce-queen-anne-b1865570.html . 26 May 2022 . subscription . live. The Independent. London. 14 June 2021.
  33. Web site: Peter Phillips steps out in public with his new girlfriend Lindsay Wallace at the Epsom Derby. The Telegraph. Camilla. Tominey. 4 June 2022. 4 June 2022.
  34. News: Princess Anne's son and Queen's 'favourite grandson' in fresh heartache after split from girlfriend. Daily Mirror. Joe. Smith. 9 April 2024. 9 April 2024.
  35. News: Queen's grandchildren stand solemn vigil in Westminster Hall . Kirstie . McCrum . 17 September 2022. walesonline.co.uk . 17 September 2022.
  36. News: Queen's funeral: Full guide to the gun carriage and the main procession . BBC News . 19 September 2022 . 19 September 2022.
  37. Web site: Ward . Victoria . Aristocratic roots of Peter Phillips’ NHS nurse girlfriend revealed . The Daily Telegraph . 22 June 2024 . 25 June 2024.
  38. Web site: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - National Service of Thanksgiving. Getty Images. 3 June 2022. 4 June 2022.
  39. News & Views . The Heraldry Gazette . 57 . 17 . March 1974.
  40. Book: Sovereign: a celebration of forty years of service. 1992. Collins and Brown. London. 978-1-8558-5116-0. 14. registration.
  41. Web site: Styles of the members of the British royal family Documents . Heraldica . 7 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211130031047/https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/prince_highness_docs.htm . 30 November 2021 . live.

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