MARK Phillips was thrown into the spotlight when he married Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter, Princess Anne.
But after years of marriage that was filled with reported affairs, they announced their separation in 1973.
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Who is Mark Phillips?
Born in 1948 in Gloucestershire, Mark Phillips comes from a long line of military personnel.
He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before going on to serve in the Army as a Second Lieutenant.
He was promoted to Captain in July 1975 and eventually retired from the Army in 1978.
Alongside his military career, Phillips became a champion equestrian.
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He was part of the British event team that won Olympic gold medals in 1972.
During the 1988 Olympics, Phillips won a silver medal with the British team even though he didn’t compete due to his horse pulling a muscle.
How did Mark Phillips meet Princess Anne and when did they marry?
Mark Phillips and Princess Anne met through the equestrian circuit.
They were reportedly introduced at an event in Mexico City and began dating shortly after.
He proposed with a big sapphire and diamond engagement ring in May 1973.
After they announced their engagement, the couple were asked if they thought the marriage could withstand the enormous pressures of public duty, to which Anne replied, “Can? It’s got to, hasn’t it?”
They went on to get married that November at Westminster Abbey.
Princess Anne wore a high-necked gown by Maureen Baker of London-based Iabel Susan Small.
She wore the same tiara her mother Queen Elizabeth wore at her wedding in 1947.
It is believed that Phillips was offered a royal title by the Queen, but he denied the honour, preferring to keep his “Captain” title.
Who are Mark Phillips’ and Princess’ Anne’s children?
During their marriage, Princess Anne had two children with Mark – Peter and Zara.
Anne declined titles for her children after she was given the choice of adding an HRH status to their name.
Royal tradition dictates that only the father can pass on his title but since Mark Phillips was a commoner he had no title to bestow.
Peter was their firstborn and following the Queen’s passing away, he is now eighteenth in line for the throne.
Why did Princess Anne and Mark Phillips divorce?
After the birth of Zara, the couple were rumoured to have marital problems.
They were rarely seen at royal events together and were thought to be invited to extramarital affairs.
These problems came to light and entered the public eye when Phillips fathered a love child with New Zealand art teacher, Heather Tonkin in 1985.
It was confirmed in 1991 from a DNA test that he was the father, but he had already been providing for the mother and child.
Princess Anne and Phillips separated in 1989 and, eventually, divorced in 1992 after years of marital strain.
That year, Princess Anne remarried to Commander Timothy Laurence, with whom she had been involved for years.
Did Mark Phillips remarry?
Phillips moved on as well and married Sandy Pflueger, a fellow equestrian, in 1997.
They had a daughter called Stephanie that year.
However, after fifteen years together, they divorced due to Phillips’s infidelity.
Phillps had already become involved with another woman, Lauren Hough.
In 2012, he spoke out for the first time about his affair with the rider 30 years his junior that has split the world of eventing.
He told Country Life magazine: “I’m not out to win a popularity contest.”
In 2015, Friends speculated that they would soon get engaged, but the announcement never came.
In September 2022, he was spotted with his new girlfriend, Belgian equestrian Florence Standaert, at the Burghley Horse Trials.
Where does Mark Phillips live now?
Gatcombe Park was divided when the Princess Royal and Mark Phillips were divorced.
The princess now lives at the estate with her second husband, Sir Timothy Laurence.
After the divorce, for some years Mark Phillips lived at Aston Farm with his second wife, but he later moved to the United States.