Who Is Princess Anne's Daughter-in-Law Autumn Phillips?
This morning, Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn confirmed the rumors that they have separated and are planning to get divorced.
“After informing HM The Queen and members of both families last year, Peter and Autumn jointly agreed to separate," reads their statement in part. "They had reached the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship."
In the wake of the sad news, here's what you need to know about Autumn.
Autumn Kelly was born in Montreal, Quebec, on May 3, 1978 to Kathleen "Kitty" and Brian Kelly
Her parents divorced when she was young, and she has two siblings, her twin brother Chris and an older brother named Kevin, as well as two half-siblings from her father's second marriage, Jessica and Patrick.
At first, she didn't know Peter was a member of the royal family.
Autumn and Peter met at the 2003 Montreal Grand Prix, a Formula One motor race, where they were both working. But she didn't realize he was the Queen's grandson until she saw a picture of him on TV. "Mum said 'Oh Autumn! What have you gotten yourself into?'" she told Hello! magazine.
But their meeting "was fate," Peter later acknowledged, and he proposed a few years later, after getting permission from Autumn's father.
“I certainly didn’t see the question coming,” Autumn revealed to the Telegraph. “I looked horrible in my wellies with wet hair. I said yes straight away though.”
They married at Windsor Castle on May 17, 2008.
While Autumn was raised Catholic, she converted to and was accepted into the Church of England before the wedding, so Peter would not have to give up his place in the line to the throne. (He's currently 15th.)
Of her new, royal relatives, Autumn has said, "They were very welcoming when I first came in."
"They're just a family, they're happy, they have great relationships with each other — they're very close," she told the CBC, also noting that the Queen "knows more about Canada than I ever will."
In February 2020, Autumn and Peter confirmed that they have separated.
"Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co parent their children," reads a statement from the couple. "Both Peter and Autumn will remain in Gloucestershire to bring up their two children where they have been settled for a number of years."
She and Peter have two children.
Savannah was born in December of 2010 and Isla arrived on March 29, 2012.
Autumn and Peter are not working royals.
Autumn has had a number of jobs over the course of her career, ranging from model to bartender to management consultant. Her husband Peter has held positions at Jaguar, Williams F1 racing team, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and most recently SEL UK. According to Debrett's, since 2012, he has "had his own sports management company."
While they aren't carrying out official engagements for the Queen, Autumn and Peter are often seen at major events like weddings or the annual Trooping the Colour parade alongside the rest of the royal family. See a few more photos of their family below:
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