Peter Mark Andrew Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 November 1977 |
| Parent(s) | Mark Phillips (father) Anne, Princess Royal (mother) |
Peter Mark Andrew Phillips BSc (Exon) (born 15 November, 1977) is the only son of The Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and her first husband, Mark Phillips; and the eldest grandson and first grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
He is not technically a member of the Royal Family, as he is a female line descendant, and as such is not entitled to hold a royal title. However, he is currently tenth in the line of succession to the British throne.
Peter Phillips was born on 15 November 1977 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington in West London. His mother is The Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His father is Mark Phillips, a former Captain in the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. He has a younger sister, Zara Phillips (born 1981).
Peter was the firstborn grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and at the time of his birth, was fifth in the line of succession and remained fifth until the birth of Prince Charles's first son, Prince William in 1982. The Queen offered to bestow an hereditary peerage (most likely an earldom) on Captain Mark Phillips upon his marriage to Princess Anne. The couple declined the offer, but had it been accepted, the couple's children would hold courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an Earl. Thus, Peter Phillips is the first grandson of a British sovereign in several centuries born without at least a courtesy title held by the son of a peer.[1]
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.
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."
Peter first attended the local village school until he was mature enough to attend Port Regis Prep School, Shaftesbury, Dorset. Later Peter attended Gordonstoun school in Scotland, which his grandfather Prince Philip and maternal uncles had all attended.
Peter earned a cap for the Scottish Schools rugby team. He was also Head Boy at Gordonstoun. After leaving the school, Phillips read sports science at the University of Exeter.
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.[2]
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.[3] Despite his lack of royal status, he is evidently very much a member of the Royal Family, and regularly attends major royal events and has appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at events such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee. 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".[4][5]
After the death of Princess Diana, Phillips and his sister were given the task of acting as unofficial guardian to both Prince William and Prince Harry. The closeness of the cousins was particularly evident in the difficult days following the death of Princess Diana, with Phillips accompanying the boys and their father, Prince Charles, on the walkabout outside Kensington Palace to thank the public for their flowers, messages and support, and placed an arm around the shoulders of young Prince Harry when it all became too much for him
A notoriously private person, Peter 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. 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, such as in 1998 when America's People Magazine named him "Sexiest Royal".
He endeavours to keep his relationships out of the spotlight, and was rarely seen in public with girlfriends.[6] Peter met American cod-liver oil heiress Elizabeth Lorio, 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, living in Peter's Belsize Park apartment for eight months - bought using the legacy bequeathed to him by his late great-grandmother HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother for eight months (presently privately let). After the couple decided to go their separate ways, Elizabeth returned to the United States, telling a reporter she thought Peter needed to "mature." Afterwards he was linked to a number of women, including a four month romance with air hostess Tara Swain.[7]
Since 2003, Peter has been dating Canadian Autumn Kelly (born 1979), who he met the at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Although she mainly resides in Canada, they have use of a cottage on his mother's Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire. Buckingham Palace announced their engagement on 28th July 2007.[8]