Mark Phillips
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Anthony Peter Phillips, CVO, ADC(P) (born 22 September 1948) is a former Olympic gold-medal-winning horseman and first husband of Anne, Princess Royal. He is the son of Major Peter William Garside Phillips (deceased in September 1998) and Anne Patricia Phillips (nee Tiarks)(deceased in July 1988).
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[edit] Career
[edit] Education
Mark Phillips was educated at Stouts Hill Preparatory School and Marlborough College, whence he joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
[edit] Army
Upon passing out from Sandhurst, Phillips was commissioned into 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards in 1969.
[edit] Equestrian career
| Olympic medal record | ||
Competitor for  United Kingdom |
||
|---|---|---|
| Equestrian | ||
| Gold | 1972 Munich | Team three-day event |
| Silver | 1988 Seoul | Team three-day event |
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.
In 1998, Phillips designed the cross-country venue for the Red Hills Horse Trials, a qualifying event for the Olympics located in Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
It was through his equestrian activities that he met HRH The Princess Anne, only daughter of HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
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.[1]
[edit] First marriage
Phillips married Princess Anne 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.
[edit] Extra marital affair
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. [2]
[edit] Second marriage
On 1 February 1997, he married Sandy Pflueger, a successful American dressage rider – the couple have a daughter named Stephanie, born October 2, 1997.
[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms
[edit] Honours
- CVO: Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- ADC(P): Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Queen
[edit] Military
- Captain (Retired)
[edit] Arms
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[edit] Footnotes
- ^ United States Equestrian Federation
- ^ Mail on Sunday
- ^ "News & Views", The Heraldry Gazette (No. 57): 17, March 1974
- ^ "News & Views", The Heraldry Gazette (No. 57): 17, March 1974
[edit] Sources
- Lundy, Darryl. "Felicity Tonkin". thePeerage.com. http://www.thepeerage.com/p2473.htm#i24729.
- Lundy, Darryl. "Captain Mark Anthony Peter Phillips". thePeerage.com. http://www.thepeerage.com/p10071.htm#i100709.
- Lundy, Darryl. "Heather Tonkin". thePeerage.com. http://www.thepeerage.com/p2474.htm#i24735.
