Mark AnthonyPeter Phillips 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.
Upon passing out from Sandhurst, Phillips was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards in July 1969, After the expected period, he was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1971. By the time of his wedding to Princess Anne in November 1973, Phillips was an acting Captain. In January 1974, he was appointed a Personal aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. Phillips was substantively promoted to Captain in July 1975, and retired from the Army on 30 March 1978. He continued to style himself Captain Mark Phillips; 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.
Equestrian career
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 Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who he married. Their own daughter Zara later won a silver medal in the three-day event with the British team at the 2012 Olympics. 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.
Personal life
Phillips married Princess Anne on 14 November 1973, at Westminster Abbey. They have two children: Peter and Zara. It is believed that Phillips declined a peerage from the Queen, which would have allowed his children to use courtesy titles. The Queen bought Gatcombe Park, near Minchinhampton, for the couple as a wedding present. The Prince of Wales is believed to have coined the nickname "Fog" for Phillips, on the grounds that he was "thick and wet". In August 1985, Phillips fathered a daughter, Felicity, as a result of an extramarital affair with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin. Phillips was confirmed as the father as a result of DNA testing during a paternity suit in 1991. 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. The couple had rarely been seen in public together, and both were romantically linked with other people. They continued to share the custody of their children, and initially announced that "there were no plans for divorce." Meanwhile, Phillips continued to work at the couple's estate at Gatcombe Park. They divorced on 23 April 1992. On 1 February 1997, Phillips married Sandy Pflueger, an American Olympic dressage rider. Their daughter Stephanie was born on 2 October 1997. On 3 May 2012, it was confirmed by Phillips' solicitors that Phillips and Pflueger had separated, intending to divorce. Phillips' personal wealth is thought to be around £15–20 million. The settlement he received when his marriage to Princess Anne ended has been reported as "modest" and as "$3 million".
