MARK PHILLIPS

Captain 'Mark Phillips', CVO, (born September 22, 1948) is a former Olympic gold-medal-winning horseman and first husband of Anne, Princess Royal.

Contents

Career

Education

Army

Equestrian career

First marriage

Tonkin paternity

Second marriage

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Honours

References

Career

Education

Mark Phillips was educated at Stouts Hill Preparatory School, Marlborough College, whence he joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Army

Upon passing out from Sandhurst, Phillips was commissioned into 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards in 1969, where he acquired the nickname "Foggy" on the grounds that he was "thick and wet". Since leaving the Army he has continued to style himself ''Captain'' 'Mark Phillips'

Equestrian career

In 1972, he was a member of the British three-day event team, which won the gold medal at the Munich Olympics. He won the Badminton Horse Trials in 1971 and 1972 riding ''Great Ovation'', in 1974 on ''Colombus'', and in 1981 on Lincoln.
It was through his equestrian activities that he met The Princess Anne, only daughter of Elizabeth II.
He is now a regular columnist in 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.^[2]

First marriage

The couple were married, on 14 November 1973, at Westminster Abbey, and had two children:

★ Peter Mark Andrew Phillips, born 1977

★ Zara Phillips, born 1981
The Queen is believed to have offered him a peerage on his wedding day, which he turned down. This may also have been the specific wish of Princess Anne. (As female-line grandchildren of the Sovereign, Princess Anne's children were never eligible for the style "Royal Highness" or the title "Prince/Princess" under the terms of George V's letters patent of 1917)
However, rumours of a stormy relationship were rife, and their home life at Gatcombe Park was the subject of much unwanted media attention throughout their marriage. In 1992, Mark Phillips and the Princess Royal were divorced.

Tonkin paternity

Phillips is the father of Felicity Tonkin (born August 1985).^[3] The girl's mother is Heather Tonkin who lodged a paternity suit with a court in New Zealand in 1991. DNA testing later confirmed that Mark Phillips was indeed the father.

Second marriage

On 1 February 1997, he married Sandy Pflueger, a successful American dressage rider – the couple have a daughter named Stephanie, born 1997.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Honours

★ 'CVO': Commander of the Royal Victorian Order

★ 'ADC(P)': Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Queen

References

1. thePeerage.com – Mark Phillips
2. United States Equestrian Federation
3. ''Mail on Sunday'' article