English equestrian and former husband of Princess Anne
Mark Anthony Peter Phillips
CVO
ADC
OLY
(born 22 September 1948) is an English
Olympic gold medal
-winning horseman for
Great Britain
and the first husband of
Anne, Princess Royal
, with whom he has two children. He remains a leading figure in British
equestrian
circles, a noted eventing course designer, and a columnist for
Horse & Hound
magazine.
Family background and early life
[
edit
]
Mark Anthony Peter Phillips was born on 22 September 1948. He is the son of Major Peter William Garside Phillips,
MC
(1920?1998)
[1]
and Anne Patricia Phillips (
nee
Tiarks;
[2]
1926?1988);
[1]
they married in 1946. Anne was educated at
Downe House
and served in the
Women's Royal Naval Service
during the
Second World War
.
[2]
Her father John Gerhard Edward Tiarks (1896?1962), who served in the
First
and Second World Wars, attained the rank of
Brigadier
. John Tiarks was
aide-de-camp
to
King George VI
from 1947 to 1950. Mark had a younger sister, Sarah Anne Staples (
nee
Phillips; 1951?2014).
[3]
Phillips was educated at
Stouts Hill
Preparatory School near
Uley
,
Gloucestershire
, then at
Marlborough College
, then the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
.
[4]
Military career
[
edit
]
Upon passing out from Sandhurst, Phillips was commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant
into the
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
in July 1969,
[5]
he was promoted to
Lieutenant
in January 1971.
[6]
By the time of his wedding to
Princess Anne
in November 1973, Phillips was an acting
Captain
.
[7]
In January 1974, he was appointed a
Personal aide-de-camp
to
Queen Elizabeth II
.
[8]
Phillips was substantively promoted to captain in July 1975,
[9]
and retired from the Army on 30 March 1978.
[10]
Phillips continued to style himself
Captain
Mark Phillips,
[11]
as it is usual for retired cavalry captains to keep using their rank if their civilian job involves working with horses in racing or equestrian sports.
[12]
Equestrian career
[
edit
]
Mark Phillips in 1973
Phillips was a reserve member of the British equestrian team for the
1968 Olympics
. He was part of the British
three-day event
teams that won a world title in 1970, a European title in 1971, and Olympic gold medals in
1972
; individually, he finished in 35th place in 1972. At the
1988 Olympics
, his horse sustained a pulled muscle and could not complete the individual three-day event, but Phillips won a silver medal with the British team. Phillips was a four-time champion at the
Badminton Horse Trials
, in 1971 and 1972 on
Great Ovation
, in 1974 on
Colombus
, and in 1981 on
Lincoln
. It was through his equestrian activities that he met Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
, whom he married. Their own daughter
Zara
later won a silver medal in the
three-day event
with the British team at the
2012 Olympics
.
[4]
In 1998 Phillips designed the cross-country venue for the
Red Hills Horse Trials
, a qualifying event for the
Olympics
located in
Tallahassee, Florida
, United States. He is now a regular columnist for
Horse & Hound
magazine. He also remains a leading figure in British equestrian circles and serves as
Chef d'Equipe
of the
United States Eventing Team
.
[13]
[14]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Phillips first met his future wife Princess Anne at a party for horse lovers in 1968.
[15]
They married on 14 November 1973, at
Westminster Abbey
.
[16]
They have two children:
Peter
(born 1977) and
Zara
(born 1981). The Queen bought
Gatcombe Park
, near
Minchinhampton
, for the couple as a wedding present.
[17]
[18]
In August 1989 the Princess Royal and Phillips announced their intention to separate, as the marriage had been under strain for a number of years.
[19]
The couple had rarely been seen in public together, and both were romantically linked with other people.
[20]
They continued to share the custody of their children, and initially announced that "there were no plans for divorce."
[21]
[22]
Meanwhile, Phillips continued to work at the couple's estate at Gatcombe Park.
[21]
In 1991, a
DNA test
confirmed that Phillips had fathered a girl, Felicity Tonkin, born in August 1985 in New Zealand to art teacher Heather Tonkin.
[23]
Phillips and Princess Anne divorced on 23 April 1992.
[24]
[25]
On 1 February 1997, Phillips married
Sandy Pflueger
, an American Olympic
dressage
rider. Their daughter Stephanie was born on 2 October 1997.
[25]
She grew up at Aston Farm, Gatcombe Park, close to the family of Princess Anne, and served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her half-sister
Zara Tindall
. In 2000, Phillips was appointed an Honorary Liveryman of the
Worshipful Company of Farmers
.
On 3 May 2012, it was confirmed by Phillips' solicitors that Phillips and Pflueger had separated, intending to divorce, with Phillips becoming involved with American equestrian
Lauren Hough
.
[26]
Phillips' personal wealth is thought to be around £15?20 million.
[27]
The settlement he received when his marriage to Princess Anne ended was described as "modest"
[27]
and reported to be around "$3 million".
[28]
On 19 September 2022, Philips was present at the
committal service at St George's Chapel
for his former mother in law
Elizabeth II
.
[29]
Honours and arms
[
edit
]
Military ranks
[
edit
]
Honours
[
edit
]
British honours
[
edit
]
Honorary military appointments
[
edit
]
Foreign honours
[
edit
]
Arms
[
edit
]
Coat of arms of Mark Phillips
|
- Notes
- These arms were granted to Peter Phillips, the father of Captain Mark Phillips, in October 1973. Mark used these arms differenced with a three point label until he inherited the undifferenced arms from his father in 1998.
[35]
He was granted
hereditary supporters
, a rare privilege for untitled people.
[
citation needed
]
- Crest
- On a Wreath of the colours, a spur rowed upward or, winged argent, enclosing a lozenge sable.
- 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.
[35]
- Supporters
- On the dexter side a winged lion, and on the sinister side a winged horse Argent, each gorged with a representation of the Coronet of HRH The Princess Anne proper.
- Motto
- Pro rege et patria
(For king and country).
- Orders
- Royal Victorian Order
|
Issue
[
edit
]
- By Princess Anne
- By Heather Tonkin
Name
|
Birth
|
Marriage
|
Issue
|
Felicity Tonkin
|
10 August 1985
|
March 2015
|
Tristan Wade
|
James Wade
[23]
|
- By Sandy Pflueger
Name
|
Birth
|
Marriage
|
Issue
|
Stephanie Phillips
|
2 October 1997
|
8 July 2022
[40]
|
William Hosier
|
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Princess Anne Attends Funeral"
. AP News. 18 September 1998.
Archived
from the original on 16 April 2023
. Retrieved
29 November
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Tiarks, Frank.
"Tiarks of Foxbury as researched by Charles A. H. Franklyn-"
.
tiarks.co.uk
.
Archived
from the original on 3 March 2016
. Retrieved
30 May
2015
.
Educated, Downe House, Newbury, Berks....served in the WRNS...
- ^
"Zara Tindall mourns the sudden death of her aunt Sarah Staples"
.
Hello!
. 17 December 2014.
Archived
from the original on 16 April 2023
. Retrieved
29 November
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Mark Phillips"
. Sports Reference. Archived from
the original
on 18 April 2020
. Retrieved
16 May
2018
.
- ^
"No. 44923"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 22 August 1969. p. 8768.
- ^
"No. 45287"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 26 January 1971. p. 912.
- ^
Morgan, Gwen.
"A Royal Wedding Album"
. Chicago Tribune 15 November 1973.
Archived
from the original on 6 July 2015
. Retrieved
4 March
2016
.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Michael Ramsey, blesses Princess Ann and Capt. Mark Phillips....
- ^
a
b
"No. 46174"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 7 January 1974. p. 267.
- ^
"No. 46644"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 28 July 1975. p. 9641.
- ^
"No. 47508"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 10 April 1978. p. 4411.
- ^
Mark Phillips
Archived
29 March 2023 at the
Wayback Machine
. Britroyals.com. Retrieved on 8 May 2014.
- ^
Retired and Former Officers, The Army, Armed Forces, Professions, Forms Of Address | Debrett's
Archived
27 December 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
. Debretts.com. Retrieved on 8 May 2014.
- ^
"Phillips and Ransehousen Named 2011 USEF Coaches of the Year"
. United States Equestrian Federation. 18 January 2012.
Archived
from the original on 15 April 2023
. Retrieved
16 May
2018
.
- ^
"Captain Mark Phillips"
. United States Eventing Association. Archived from
the original
on 17 May 2018
. Retrieved
16 May
2018
.
- ^
Longworth, R. C. (1 September 1989).
"Princess Anne To Separate From Husband"
. Chicago Tribune.
Archived
from the original on 14 May 2018
. Retrieved
13 May
2018
.
- ^
"1973: Crowds cheer marriage of Princess Anne"
. BBC. 14 November 1973.
Archived
from the original on 7 March 2008
. Retrieved
12 February
2015
.
- ^
Glasgow Herald
, 24 June 1976, p. 1
- ^
The Australian Women's Weekly
, 21 July 1976,
p. 4
Archived
2020-10-07 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"But No Divorce Is Planned : Princess Anne, Husband Split"
.
Los Angeles Times
. 31 August 1989.
Archived
from the original on 19 August 2018
. Retrieved
14 May
2018
.
- ^
Kaufman, Joanne; Cooper, Jonathan (24 April 1989).
"A Crisis Rocks a Royal Marriage"
.
People
.
Archived
from the original on 7 March 2018
. Retrieved
13 May
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"1989: Royal couple to separate"
. BBC. 31 August 1989.
Archived
from the original on 20 August 2018
. Retrieved
14 May
2018
.
- ^
Rule, Sheila (1 September 1989).
"Princess Anne and Husband Agree to Separate"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 15 May 2018
. Retrieved
14 May
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Royal scandal: Zara Tindall's 'secret' nephew born in NZ"
.
The New Zealand Herald
. 19 August 2017.
Archived
from the original on 10 October 2022
. Retrieved
24 June
2022
.
A DNA test in 1991 confirmed Phillips as her father, paving the way for a reported £350,000 settlement from Phillips, money which helped pay for fees at one of Auckland's finest private schools and some profitable property investments to secure Felicity's future.
- ^
Brozan, Nadine (24 April 1992).
"Chronicle"
.
New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 3 April 2024
. Retrieved
17 February
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Princess Anne's ex-husband a father again"
.
Reading Eagle
. Reading, PA. 7 October 1997. p. A10.
Archived
from the original on 11 April 2023
. Retrieved
1 December
2020
.
- ^
Rayner, Gordon (3 May 2012).
"Captain Mark Phillips to divorce for second time after falling for 35-year-old Lauren Hough"
.
Archived
from the original on 4 June 2023
. Retrieved
10 December
2018
– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^
a
b
William Langley
"Captain Mark Phillips: He's found love in the saddle (again)"
Archived
16 April 2023 at the
Wayback Machine
, telegraph.co.uk, 6 May 2013
- ^
"With No Hope for a Happy Ending, Princess Anne Brings Her Storybook Marriage to a Close"
.
PEOPLE.com
.
Archived
from the original on 11 April 2023
. Retrieved
16 July
2019
.
- ^
Arasteh, Amira (14 September 2022).
"Who's invited to the Queen's funeral? The Royals, politicians and world leaders on the guest list"
.
The Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on 13 September 2022
. Retrieved
22 November
2023
.
- ^
"The London Gazette"
.
Archived
from the original on 23 September 2022
. Retrieved
3 June
2022
.
- ^
Krebs, Albin (15 August 1974).
"Notes on People"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 11 April 2023
. Retrieved
10 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Anne Mark Guildhall"
.
Getty Images
.
Archived
from the original on 16 March 2023
. Retrieved
27 August
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Medal Yearbook 2021
. Honiton, Devon: Token Publishing. 2021. p. 295.
ISBN
978-1-908828-53-8
.
- ^
"Platinum Jubilee Medal revealed"
.
Gov.uk
.
Archived
from the original on 24 September 2021
. Retrieved
9 February
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"News & Views".
The Heraldry Gazette
(57): 17. March 1974.
- ^
Gallagher, Sophie (14 June 2021).
"Divorce settled for Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips"
.
The Independent
. London.
Archived
from the original on 26 May 2022
. Retrieved
14 June
2021
.
- ^
"Queen a great-grandmother again"
.
ITV News
. 30 March 2012.
Archived
from the original on 25 April 2018
. Retrieved
16 May
2018
.
- ^
"Zara Phillips wedding: Ceremony at Edinburgh church"
.
BBC News
. 30 July 2011.
Archived
from the original on 25 December 2011
. Retrieved
1 December
2011
.
- ^
"Zara Tindall and husband Mike confirm birth of baby boy - a new great-grandson for the Queen"
. Sky News.
Archived
from the original on 22 February 2023
. Retrieved
24 March
2021
.
- ^
Cope, Rebecca (11 July 2022).
"Princess Anne attends the wedding of her ex-husband's daughter, Stephanie Phillips"
.
Tatler
.
Archived
from the original on 8 February 2023
. Retrieved
6 December
2022
.
External links
[
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]
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