Autumn Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | Autumn Patricia Kelly (1978-05-03)May 3, 1978 (age 46) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Education | St. Thomas High School |
| Alma mater | McGill University (BA) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Autumn Patricia Kelly[1] (born May 3, 1978) is the Canadian-born former wife ofPeter Phillips, who is the son ofAnne, Princess Royal and the eldest grandchild ofQueen Elizabeth II andPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. After graduating fromMcGill University in 2002, she met Phillips in her birthplace and hometown ofMontreal, Quebec. Their engagement was announced on July 28, 2007, and they were married inSt George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, on May 17, 2008. They have two daughters. The couple separated in 2019, and divorced in 2021.
Autumn Kelly, her twin brother Christopher "Chris" and her older brother Kevin, were born inMontreal, Quebec, to Kathleen "Kitty" (née McCarthy) and Brian Kelly, an executive atHydro-Québec.[2] She wasbaptised on June 18, 1978, at Saint John Fisher Parish Church, and raised inCedar Park,Pointe-Claire, in theEnglish-speakingWest Island region of Montreal.[3][4] Her parents divorced when she was eight, after which her mother married commercial pilot Ron Magas and her father married Lynne, with whom he has two children, Jessica and Patrick.[3]
Kelly's family continued to live in the Pointe-Claire area, where she attended aRoman Catholicparochial school, and thenSt. Thomas High School, aRoman Catholic foundation.[5] It was reported in 2007 that St Thomas' was where Kelly had both excelled at sports and had also studied alongside fellow student and friend, actressCasey McKinnon.[3][6] Kelly then attendedMcGill University, during which time she worked as abartender,model,[3] and actress, appearing in the 1996 filmRainbow, taking the non-speaking, though credited, role of Tigrette Number 3,[7] and later in the television seriesSirens.[7] Kelly graduated from McGill in 2002, with aBachelor of Arts degree inEast Asian studies, whereupon she started a career as amanagement consultant.[8][9]
Kelly met Peter Phillips when he attended the2003 Canadian Grand Prix as part of his employment withWilliams F1. She did not know, until six weeks later, when she saw him on television, that he was QueenElizabeth II's grandson.[9][10] She then moved to the United Kingdom, living with Phillips in aKensington, London, apartment and a cottage on theGatcombe Park estate.[11] Before meeting him, she had accepted a job with an American computer firm in England,[9] and later worked as apersonal assistant to broadcasterMichael Parkinson,[9] while also attending royal events, such as the dinner party at theRitz Hotel for the Queen's 80th birthday.[12]
Their engagement was announced by the royal family on July 28, 2007,[13] and the Queen subsequently gave her consent to the union, as required by theRoyal Marriages Act 1772, after a meeting of herBritish Privy Council on April 9 of the following year.[2] Phillips proposed to her with "a platinum ring containing an oval centre diamond with more diamonds on either side".[14]
Kelly had been raised aRoman Catholic and educated atCatholic foundation schools,[15] was received into theChurch of England (Anglican), which does not re-confirm people who were raised in churches acknowledging theapostolic succession. Had she remained Catholic after her marriage, under the provisions of theAct of Settlement 1701, her husband would have lost his place in theline of succession to the throne.[4][16] That fact received widespread press coverage and drew attention to the Act of Settlement's bar on Catholics ascending to the throne, and prompted calls in both Canada and the United Kingdom for the respective prime ministers to consider the issue.[4][17] She did not give up her Canadian citizenship.[18][9] Some reported unease was caused in royal circles when Kelly and Phillips were interviewed and photographed byHello! magazine, for a reported fee of £500,000.[9][19]
The couple married on May 17, 2008, atSt George's Chapel at Windsor Castle with 300 guests in attendance.[19] The service was conducted byDavid Conner,Dean of Windsor,[20] and Kelly's dress was designed by Sassi Holford.[21] For the occasion, the Princess Royal lent Kelly the Festoon Tiara which she had received as a gift in 1973 in Hong Kong,[22] and Kelly wore a necklace and earrings from her husband.[19] Her sixbridesmaids includedZara Phillips, her husband's sister.[19] The couple had a carriage procession before going toFrogmore House for a reception.[19] In 2010, they returned to London after living in Hong Kong, where Peter Phillips had a job with theRoyal Bank of Scotland, heading its sports sponsorship activities in the region.[23]
Autumn and Peter's first child, and the Queen's first great-grandchild, Savannah Anne Kathleen, was born in 2010 atGloucestershire Royal Hospital.[24][25] With dual citizenship, the child is the first Canadian citizen to be in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms.[26] In 2012, at the same hospital, Phillips gave birth to another girl, Isla Elizabeth.[27]
Autumn and Peter Phillips separated in 2019.[28][29][30] Their divorce was settled on June 14, 2021,[31] after which she began a relationship with Donal Mulryan, founder of the UK development and construction company Rockwell.[32] As of June 2022, she was living inCirencester, close by to her ex-husband and daughters.[33]
Mr Peter Phillips and Mrs Autumn Phillips are pleased to be able to report that the financial aspects of their divorce have been resolved through agreement, the terms of which have been approved and ordered by the High Court today.
This (St Thomas') is the first Catholic High School to house both French and English and under the one roof...
Kathleen and Brian sent their daughter to a Roman Catholic primary school and St. Thomas High School, part of a church foundation...[permanent dead link]
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