Mark Phillips

Captain Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September 1948) 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 in Horse & Hound magazine.

Family background and early life
Mark Phillips is the son of Major Peter William Garside Phillips, MC (1920–1998) and Anne Patricia Phillips (née Tiarks; 1926–1988); they married in 1946. Anne was educated at Downe House and served in the Women's Royal Naval Service during the Second World War. Her father John Gerhard Edward Tiarks (1896–1962), who served in the First and Second World Wars, attained the rank of Brigadier. John Tiarks was aide-de-camp to King George VI from 1947 to 1950.

Phillips was educated at Stouts Hill Preparatory School near Uley, Gloucestershire, then at Marlborough College, then the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Military career
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; retired cavalry captains are (unusually) allowed to use this honorific rank, if their job had mostly involved horses.

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 1971–72 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. Their own daughter Zara 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 (born 1977) and Zara (born 1981). 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 originated the nickname "Foggy" 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 Mark Phillips announced their intention to separate, as the marriage had been under strain for a number of years. The couple had been rarely seen in the 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 in the range of £15–20 million, although he gained only a small settlement when his marriage to Anne, Princess Royal ended.

Military ranks

 * 🇬🇧 Captain (Retired), late Queen's Dragoon Guards

Honours

 * Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO, 15 August 1974).

Honorary military appointments

 * 1 February 1984 – : Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen (AdC(P))