Mark Phillips

2.1. Early life and birth

Mark Anthony Peter Phillips was born on 22 September 1948, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England. He is the son of Major Peter William Garside Phillips, MC (1920-1998), and Anne Patricia Phillips (née Tiarks; 1925-1988). His parents married in 1946. His mother, Anne, received her education at Downe House School and served in the Women's Royal Naval Service during the Second World War. Mark's maternal grandfather was John Gerhard Edward Tiarks (1896-1962), who served in both the First World War and the Second World War, achieving the rank of Brigadier. John Tiarks also held the position of aide-de-camp to King George VI from 1947 to 1950. Mark Phillips had a younger sister named Sarah Anne Staples (née Phillips; 1951-2014).

His paternal grandparents were Joseph Herbert Phillips and Dorothea Mary Land. His paternal great-grandparents were William Garside Phillips and Emma Grundy, and William Henry Land and Kate Eliza Moore. On his maternal side, his grandparents were John Gerhard Tiarks and Ada Constance Helen Harrington, and Percy Roland Cripps and Mary Howard Tripp.

2.2. Education

Phillips attended Stouts Hill Preparatory School, located near Uley, Gloucestershire. Following his preparatory education, he continued his studies at Marlborough College. He then pursued military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

3.1. Commission and service

Upon successfully completing his training at Sandhurst, Mark Phillips was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards in July 1969. He received a promotion to Lieutenant in January 1971. By the time of his marriage to Princess Anne in November 1973, Phillips held the acting rank of Captain. In January 1974, he was appointed as a Personal aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. Phillips was substantively promoted to captain in July 1975.

3.2. Retirement and styling

Mark Phillips officially retired from the British Army on 30 March 1978. Following his retirement, he continued to use the title "Captain" Mark Phillips. This practice is customary for retired cavalry captains, particularly when their civilian profession involves working with horses, such as in racing or equestrian sports.

4.1. Olympic and major competition achievements

Phillips was a reserve member of the British equestrian team for the 1968 Summer Olympics. He was an integral part of the British three-day event teams that secured a world title in 1970, a European title in 1971, and an Olympic gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Individually, he finished in 35th place in the 1972 event. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Phillips earned a silver medal with the British team, although his horse sustained a pulled muscle and was unable to complete the individual three-day event.

He achieved remarkable success at the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials, becoming a four-time champion. He won in 1971 and 1972 riding Great Ovation, in 1974 on Colombus, and in 1981 on Lincoln. It was through his involvement in equestrian activities that he met Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whom he subsequently married. His own daughter, Zara Phillips, later continued the family's equestrian legacy by winning a silver medal in the three-day event with the British team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

4.2. Course design and other roles

In 1998, Mark Phillips designed the cross-country venue for the Red Hills Horse Trials, an Olympic qualifying event located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. He is a regular columnist for Horse & Hound magazine. Phillips remains a leading figure in British equestrian circles and has served as Chef d'Equipe^French for the United States Eventing Team.

5.1. Marriage to Princess Anne

Mark Phillips first met his future wife, Princess Anne, at a party for horse enthusiasts in 1968. They married on 14 November 1973, at Westminster Abbey. The couple had two children: Peter Phillips (born 1977) and Zara Tindall (born 1981). As a wedding present, Queen Elizabeth II purchased Gatcombe Park, near Minchinhampton, for the couple. Phillips reportedly declined a peerage from the Queen, which allowed his children to use courtesy titles rather than being styled as "His/Her Royal Highness" or "Prince/Princess" under the terms of George V's 1917 letters patent. Had Phillips held a peerage, his children with Princess Anne would have been entitled to be styled as "The Honourable", or as "Lord" or "Lady", depending on the peerage created.

In August 1989, Princess Anne and Phillips announced their intention to separate, as their marriage had been under strain for several years. The couple had rarely been seen together in public, and both were romantically linked with other individuals. They initially stated there were no plans for divorce and continued to share custody of their children. Phillips also continued to work at the couple's estate at Gatcombe Park. They divorced on 23 April 1992.

Phillips' personal wealth is estimated to be around 15.00 M GBP to 20.00 M GBP. The settlement he received upon his divorce from Princess Anne was described as "modest" and reported to be around 3.00 M USD. On 19 September 2022, Phillips was present at the committal service at St George's Chapel for his former mother-in-law, Elizabeth II.

5.2. Marriage to Sandy Pflueger

On 1 February 1997, Mark Phillips married Sandy Pflueger, an American Olympic dressage rider. Their daughter, Stephanie, was born on 2 October 1997. She grew up at Aston Farm, Gatcombe Park, in close proximity 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, Phillips' solicitors confirmed that he and Pflueger had separated with the intention to divorce. Phillips became involved with American equestrian Lauren Hough.

6.1. Children with Princess Anne

6.2. Children with Heather Tonkin

In 1991, a DNA test confirmed that Mark Phillips had fathered a girl, Felicity Tonkin, who was born in August 1985 in New Zealand to art teacher Heather Tonkin.

6.3. Children with Sandy Pflueger

7.1. Military ranks

• Captain (Retired), late 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

7.2. British honours

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  15 August 1974: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)

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  6 February 1977: Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal

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  6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal

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  6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

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  6 February 2022: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal

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  6 May 2023: King Charles III Coronation Medal

• 1 January 1974: Personal aide-de-camp to the Queen (ADC)

7.3. Foreign honours

• Norway: Commander with Star of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav, 13 April 1988.