Peter Mark Andrew Phillips
Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born November 15, 1977), is the eldest grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. He is not technically a member of the Royal Family, as he is a female line descendant, and is therefore not entitled to hold a royal title. However, he usually appears with the family on most official occasions and frequently appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. He is currently tenth in line to the British throne.
Biography
Peter Phillips was born on November 15, 1977 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington in West London. His father is Mark Phillips, a former Captain in the Queen's Dragoon Guards. His mother is The Princess Anne, Princess Royal, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He also has a younger sister named Zara and two half-sisters, Felicity Tonkin born in 1985 to his father and his former mistress, and Stephanie, born in 1997 from his father's second marriage.
It is said that on his birth, the Queen offered to create Peter a Prince, but this was refused by his mother, Princess Anne, who did not wish her children to have titles. As Peter's father had already declined a peerage from the Queen upon his marriage to Princess Anne, Peter did not have any title at birth. It is widely accepted that Captain Phillips had declined a title partly so that his children would not be unnecessarily burdened. Therefore, at the time of his birth, Peter went into the history books for being the first royal baby to be born a commoner for more than 500 years.
Official announcements of his birth were posted on the railings of Buckingham Palace and the Home Office in Whitehall. A 41-gun salute was fired at the Tower of London to welcome the baby, who in 1977 was fifth in line to the throne. On a much smaller scale, his paternal family in Great Somerford, Wiltshire shared his birth with the public too -- by having their local church bells rung in celebration.
His parents' wishes that he lead a normal life were granted and Peter first attended the local village school until he was mature enough to attend Port Regis Co-Educational Preparatory School, Shaftesbury, Dorset. Later Peter attended Gordonstoun school in Scotland, which his grandfather Prince Phillip and maternal uncles had all attended. A keen sportsman, he earned a cap for the Scottish Schools rugby team and was an equally impressive student, gaining excellent grades. He was also Head Boy at Gordonstoun. After leaving school, he studied at the University of Exeter, graduating with a degree in sports science.
Peter does not carry out any official royal engagements and generally maintains a low public profile. He receives no money directly from the civil list, although The Princess Royal's accounts show that she settles £15,000 p.a. on both her children. Despite his lack of royal status, he is evidently very much a member of the Royal Family. He regularly attends major royal events and has appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at events such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee and on many a Remembrance Sunday. It is said that he is both the Queen's and Prince Philip's favourite grandson, with the latter referring to him as the "Golden" boy and a "winner". He is also popular among his royal family, loved by his elders and peers alike. Family is obviously very important to Peter for not only does he ensure he lends his support to his grandmother, he also ensures he turns out to encourage his younger sister Zara at the various equestrian events she competes in. The two are evidently very close and are a real credit to their parents. Both his parents tried their hardest throughout his and Zara's childhood to ensure they were kept out of the limelight as much as was possible. Anne even went as far as to once declare "They're not royal, the Queen just happens to be their grandmother". Since the death of Princess Diana, he has been given the task of acting as unofficial guardian to both Prince William and Prince Harry. Whilst the young princes have always been close to both Peter and Zara, with some saying that they regard them as the elder brother and sister they have never had, the closeness of the cousins was particularly evident in the difficult days following the announcement of the death of Princess Diana. Peter was on hand at every minute to ensure his younger cousins, particularly Prince Harry, were supported in their time of need. He even accompanied the boys and their father, Prince Charles, on the walkabout outside Kensington Palace to thank the public for their flowers, messages and support and in a particularly poignant moment, placed an arm around the shoulders of young Prince Harry when it all became too much for him.
A notoriously private person, Peter appears to be the only one of the Queen's grandchildren who has managed to lead a rather unhindered life. He is rarely photographed in public, unless it is related to either his work or maternal family events, and is afforded a peace which the press have not offered to either his sister or his cousins. Ever the gentlemen, he endeavours to keep his relationships out of the spotlight and is rarely seen in public with girlfriends (although he has had quite a few!).
There have been occasions when Peter has still managed to catch the eye of the press and has subsequently made many headlines around the world. In 1998, America's People Magazine named him "Sexiest Royal". An accolade which was, no doubt, linked to his then relationship with the American cod-liver oil heiress Elizabeth Iorio. Peter met Elizabeth, a member of the United States Eventing Team, through his father who is the Chef D'Equipe of the team. They had a long relationship and even took the step of moving in together in 2001. They lived together for eight months at Peter's upmarket Belsize Park apartment until they decided to go their separate ways. The subsequent break up of the relationship came as quite a shock for there had even been whispers of marriage and the British newspapers had frequently commented on the ease at which Elizabeth would fit in with the Windsor Dynasty, her first love being horses. Elizabeth returned to the United States, however, before doing so, took the time to tell a reporter she thought Peter needed to "mature". Peter has since been linked to a number of women, notably enjoying a four month romance with air hostess Tara Swain. Since 2003, however, Peter has been steadily dating girlfriend Autumn Kelly. He met the Canadian at the Montreal Grand Prix and the two have been inseparable ever since. They reside together in a cottage on his mother's Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire. His Belsize Park apartment, which was bought using the the legacy bequeathed to him by his late great-grandmother HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, is privately let suggesting that Peter is intent on being financially independant from the 'firm', as his maternal family is known.
Following graduation, Peter worked for both the Jaguar and WilliamsF1 Formula One racing teams. He was the Sponsorship Accounts Manager at WilliamsF1 until September 2005 when he left to work at the global headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Gogarburn, Edinburgh.
| Preceded by: HRH The Princess Royal |
Line of succession to the British throne | Succeeded by: Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips |
