Mark Phillips is the ex-husband of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, from whom he was divorced in 1992, with his adultery being sited as grounds for the divorce. He was born 22 September 1948 into an honorable military family, to Peter William Garside Phillips and his wife, Anne. As a child he was educated at Marlborough College and later, at Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy, after which he entered the 1st Queen’s Royal Dragoon Guards. At first he was a Lieutenant but he rose to the rank of Captain.
Mark Philips continued in military service like his father, receiving the honours of the CVO (Commander of the Royal Victorian Order) and ADC(P) (Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Queen) as well as the title of Captain before retiring from army service. However, he still uses the title of Captain. The honour of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order is given in recognition of loyal service to the monarch of the British Royal Family. It is the third highest honour within the Royal Victorian Order, which was established by Queen Victoria.
As Personal Aide-de-Camp, Mark Philips’ duties were to represent the Queen (or reigning monarch) or their viceroys. He shared that honour with Princes Charles, Andrew and Edward and Tim Laurence, Princess Anne’s second husband. It is typical for this military position to be held by members of the British Royal Family, but that is not essential.
Mark Philips was thrust into the media spotlight upon his marriage to Princess Anne in 1973. It is said that at that time he turned down an honorary peerage from the Queen. They had two children together before rumors and subsequent confirmation of Mark Phillips’ infidelity resulted in a divorce in 1992. It had been proven in 1991 via paternity testing that Mark Phillips was the father of a daughter named Felicity by his schoolteacher mistress named Heather Tonkin, who is from New Zealand.
Horses were the link between Mark Phillips and both of his wives. He met Princess Anne through horse-related activities during the period leading up to the 1972 Munich Olympics where he won gold. He also won first place at Badminton Horse Trails in 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1981. Mark Philips and Princess Anne continued to share an interest in horses throughout their marriage. His second wife, Sandy, is an accomplished American dressage rider who also met Phillips through international equestrian activities.
Following the breakdown of his marriage to Princess Anne and a move overseas to America, Mark Phillips faded from British public life a little. He has resumed interests in horsemanship that he originally shared with Princess Anne. As a former gold medalist, he is well suited to training athletes in the art of horsemanship and to advise on the topic and that is currently his main occupation. He has designed courses and trails, and is a regular contributor to ‘Horse and Hound’ magazine, and serves in a number of roles for the British Equestrian Team and as the Chef d’Equipe with the US Eventing Team.
- Full Name: Mark Anthony Peter Phillips
- Father: Major Peter William Garside Phillips
- Mother: Anne Patricia Phillips
- Born: 22 September 1948
- Married: 14 November 1973 to Princess Anne; 1 February 1997 to Sandy Pflueger
- Children: Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (1977) and Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips (1980) with Princess Anne; Felicity Tonkin (1985) with Heather Tonkin; Stephanie Phillips (1992) with Sandy Pflueger
