Captain Mark Phillips is known by many royal watchers as the first husband of Princess Anne,
daughter of Queen Elizabeth. Since their divorce in 1992, he's remained in the
spotlight for reasons both good and bad. Let's take a look at the untold truth of Mark Phillips.
If you've been wondering where the "captain" in Captain Mark Phillips comes from,
you don't have to wonder much longer. While it might be cooler if he were a seafaring man,
it turns out that, like many a royal before and after, Phillips earned the rank through his time
in the military. Town & Country magazine pointed out that Phillips is hardly the first in his
family to be in the military; he reportedly comes from a, quote, "long line of military personnel."
The publication also noted that Phillips dove into the military
as early as he could, enrolling in the Royal Military Academy once he was "of age." After
graduating from the school, Phillips joined the Royal Dragoon Guards and was eventually
named Second Lieutenant before becoming Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.
Like his ex-wife Princess Anne, Mark Phillips has long been a passionate equestrian,
both personally and professionally.
"Horses have been my hobby for most of my life."
As shared by the official Olympics website, he qualified for the British Olympic team as
a reserve in 1968, and in 1970, he was part of the team that won the World Championships in Chicago,
Illinois. Phillips made it to the Olympic team for the 1972 games in Germany where he won
a gold medal, and he returned to earn a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics.
Despite that perceived success, Country Life has written that Phillips' two Olympic performances
were a bit disappointing, even to the man himself. His medals were both earned through
the team competition, and the score Phillips received each time was a "discard score,"
meaning it was one of the lowest scores earned by a team member. Phillips told the
publication that when it comes to his Olympics experience, hindsight is 20/20, explaining:
"You have to make your own luck. I didn't perform to expectations
at championships and I see that clearly now."
Captain Mark Phillips and Princess Anne had a marriage that has been described as troubled;
there were rumors throughout their marriage that both had engaged in
affairs, particularly Phillips. The Chicago Tribune later reported
that Phillips' extramarital partners included a woman from the British news,
a PR executive from Canada, and an Indian "call girl" named Pamella Bordes.
Town & Country explained that many believed Phillips and Anne began having troubles after
the birth of their only daughter, Zara Tindall, in 1981. These rumors leapt from a possibility
to a reality in 1985 when Phillips fathered a daughter, Felicity, outside of his marriage;
a subsequent DNA test confirmed his paternity in 1991. As the Express reported,
Princess Anne began divorce proceedings upon learning about the child in 1985.
As reported by the Express, Mark Phillips put quite a bit of effort into denying that he was
Felicity's father for the first few years of her life. Despite all that outward effort, Phillips
was also making regular payments of £6,000, or about $8,100 in today's numbers, to Felicity's
mother, Heather Tonkin. In fact, Heather only brought her child's paternity to light in 1991
after Phillips stopped sending the payments on time; the New Zealand art teacher later told the
Express that she was also motivated because she wanted Phillips to claim his daughter. She said:
"My ambition is to get Mark's public acceptance of
her and to be able to enter his name on her birth certificate."
While Phillips was finally forced into claiming paternity after that 1991 paternity test,
more recent reports indicate he never really made a point
of keeping Felicity — now known as Felicity Wade — close in his life.
Mark Phillips married his second wife, Sandy Pflueger, in 1997.
The two share one daughter — Stephanie Phillips. Gloucester Live noted that Pflueger is also a
talented equestrian; she was part of the 1984 Olympic team for the United States,
and Hello! magazine shared that Pflueger also coached with Mark.
From what it sounds like, Stephanie Phillips is just as fond of horses as the rest of the family.
Bristol Live reported that Stephanie was raised near her older brother
and sister — Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall — on the Gatcombe Park compound.
The home was originally a wedding gift to Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.
Unlike Felicity, Stephanie has consistently remained a part of Mark's life. Good Housekeeping
noted that Stephanie served as a flower girl in both Peter Phillips' 2008 wedding and Zara
Tindall's 2011 wedding. This closeness between the three was likely nurtured by the fact that
Stephanie grew up only a short distance from her older siblings, according to Tatler.
Stephanie is also reportedly close to Phillips and Tindall's respective children.
Peter and his ex-wife Autumn Phillips are mom and dad to Savannah and Isla,
and Zara shares Mia and Lena with husband Mike Tindall. All the children also live
on the same estate where Stephanie grew up, according to Gloucester Live.
According to Hello! Magazine, Phillips divorced Sandy in 2012 in order to be
in a relationship with Lauren Hough — a woman nearly 30 years his junior who
is also heavily involved in the equestrian world. The relationship between Hough and
Phillips sparked additional controversy when it was revealed that she began working for him
after the two were involved. The fact that Hough came on board as an assistant coach
for the U.S. equestrian team drew some ire from fellow professional equestrians.
Mark Phillips stopped working for the United States equestrian team
following the 2012 Olympic Games. According to the Daily Mail, he faced encouragement to
retire from the role following the news of his infidelity and second divorce.
Since then, Phillips has continued to work in the equestrian world, albeit in different roles.
Horsetalk NZ shared that Phillips has taken up consulting in a number of ways that pertain to
owning and riding horses and designing competitive courses. In August 2021, he explained to Horse &
Hound magazine that designing courses isn't quite as easy as one might think. Phillips noted that
there are numerous elements to consider, such as giving horses ample time to "catch their breath."
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