Meet Queen Elizabeth's Great-Granddaughter Savannah Phillips

Meet Queen Elizabeth's Great-Granddaughter Savannah Phillips
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Queen Elizabeth went by several names during her lifetime: Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, and Gan-Gan. But only a select few, her 12 great-grandchildren, called her by that last one. While Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and little Archie are certainly the most well-known of the royal babies, the oldest member of that generation of the Windsor family is actually 12-year-old Savannah Phillips, daughter of Peter Phillips, and granddaughter of Princess Anne.

Here's everything you need to know about Savannah, the eldest great-granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth.

Her parents are Peter and Autumn Phillips.

Princess Anne's son Peter, the Queen's eldest grandchild, met Canadian-born Autumn Kelly in Montreal in 2003. They married at Windsor Castle five years later on May 17, 2008. While Autumn was raised Catholic, she converted to and was accepted into the Church of England before the wedding.

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Peter and Autumn Phillips on their wedding day.Getty Images

Savannah Phillips was born on December 29, 2010 in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

She is the Queen's oldest great-grandchild and Princess Anne's oldest grandchild. A statement at the time of her birth from Buckingham Palace read:

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Autumn's family have been informed and are delighted with the news.

Her name was not immediately announced, and was first revealed publicly during a church service in Sandringham when the reverend reportedly shared a prayer for "Peter and Autumn Phillips and their daughter Savannah."

Savannah's only sister Isla was born just a few years later on March 29, 2012.

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Baby Savannah at the Gatcombe Park Horse Trials on March 26, 2011.Getty Images

Her parents Peter and Autumn separated in 2019 and divorced in 2020; in statement, they said, "The decision to divorce and share custody came about after many months of discussions and although sad, is an amicable one. The couple's first priority will remain the continued well being and upbringing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla." They announced they will both remain in Gloucestershire to co-parent the girls.

The divorce was finalized in 2021, and they released a statement that said, "Whilst this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the wellbeing and upbringing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla first and foremost."

Savannah is currently 18th in the royal line of succession.

At the time of her birth, Savannah was 12th in line to the throne, but Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis bumped her down the list. After the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and Princess Beatrice's and Princess Eugenie's children Sienna and August, respectively, Savannah dropped in line.

While she holds a position in the order of succession, Savannah does not have a royal title. The BBC reports that children of the daughter of a monarch are not "entitled to the rank" of his or her royal highness. When Savannah's father, Peter Phillips, was born, his parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, declined the Queen's offer to give him a title, marking "the first child to be born to a princess without a title here for at least 500 years," reported the Washington Post.

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Savannah and Isla Phillips enjoying an ice cream with their mom in 2016.Getty Images

"Princess Anne and her husband are understood to have told the queen that they felt a title would be a hindrance in the child's future career." Since neither of her parents have a royal rank, Savannah doesn't have one either.

Savannah made her royal balcony debut in 2017 alongside her younger sister.

The Phillips sisters were seen hamming it up with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during the annual Trooping the Colour parade in 2017.

Trooping The Colour 2017
Savannah (left) on the Buckingham Palace balcony with her sister and parents during Trooping the Colour in June 2017.Karwai Tang - Getty Images

Savannah stole the show at Trooping the Colour in 2018, laughing and clapping with Princess Charlotte and playfully telling Prince George to stop singing during the national anthem.

trooping the colour 2018
Karwai Tang - Getty Images

Here is Savannah at the 2019 Trooping the Colour:

trooping the colour 2019
Autumn and Peter Phillips and their children on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, June 08, 2019.Anwar Hussein - Getty Images

And while she wasn't on the balcony for the 2022 Trooping the Colour, due to the slimmed-down nature of the event, Savannah was still spotted with other members of the royal family—including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

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Savannah and her sister, Isla, watch Trooping the Colour from Horseguards. In the center, Kate Middleton also looks out the window.Jeff J Mitchell - Getty Images

She played a role in Princess Eugenie's royal wedding.

In October 2018, Savannah was tapped to serve as a bridesmaid in Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank. Savannah was joined by her younger sister, Isla, along with her cousin, Mia Tindall, and other royal relatives, including Princess Charlotte and Maud Windsor, in the bridal party. During the wedding ceremony, Savannah was tasked with taking the bride's bouquet once she arrived at the altar and met her groom.

Princess Eugenie Of York Marries Mr. Jack Brooksbank
Eugenie handing Savannah her wedding bouquet during the ceremony.WPA Pool - Getty Images

After the service at St. George's Chapel, Savannah joined the rest of the bridal party on the chapel steps, where they sweetly waved to the crowd.

Princess Eugenie Of York Marries Mr. Jack Brooksbank
Savannah on the steps of St. George’s Chapel after Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding in October 2018.WPA Pool - Getty Images

She's a great big cousin.

At various family events, Savannah is pictured playing with her younger cousins and siblings.

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Savannah gives Prince Louis a high five during the Platinum Jubilee pageant, June 2022.Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
the 2019 festival of british eventing
Isla (L) and Savannah Phillips (R) hold hands with their cousin Lena Tindall, August 2019.Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
the 2019 festival of british eventing
Savannah gives her sister a piggyback ride, August 2019.Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
the whatley manor horse trials
Savannah, Mia Tindall, and Isla struggle to control their grandmother’s (Princess Anne) bull terrier dog as they attend the Whatley Manor Horse Trials, September 2018.Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
maserati royal charity polo trophy
Savannah and Princess Charlotte, June 2018.Karwai Tang - Getty Images

Savannah started to appear at more formal royal events in 2022.

While Isla and Savannah are seen at royal events on occasion and typically attend Christmas mass with the rest of the royal family, they reportedly live a fairly normal life in London. In 2022, the Phillips sisters started attending more events—including the Service of Thanksgiving for their great-grandfather, Prince Philip:

memorial service for the duke of edinburgh
Peter Phillips with Isla Phillips and Savannah Phillips (center) leaving after a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London, March 2022Kirsty O'Connor - PA Images - Getty Images

She also attended Easter Sunday Church services at Windsor in April 2022:

royal sightings in windsor easter sunday
L-R: Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, and Savannah Phillips.Antony Jones - Getty Images

And during the Platinum Jubilee weekend, Savannah attended nearly all of the events with her family.

platinum jubilee
Savannah Phillips takes her seat before the Platinum Party at the Palace.Steve Parsons - PA Images - Getty Images
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Savannah with her cousins Lena Tindall, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and aunt Zara Tindall at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

While her grandmother Princess Anne stood vigil for Queen Elizabeth, Savannah and her sister were in attendance, along with their cousins Mia and Lena.

vigil of the princes takes place at westminster hall
Savannah is center in this photo, wearing a headband with her hair down.WPA Pool - Getty Images

She also attended the committal service for Queen Elizabeth at St George's Chapel with her sister and cousin Mia.


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