Who is Peter Philips? He has no title and has to make money just like the rest of us (well, almost). But Princess Anne’s eldest child is a key figure in the royal family and accompanied Queen Elizabeth’s coffin

We see relatively little of him, but Peter Phillips has the honor of being the eldest of the late Queen Elizabeth’s eight grandchildren.

Peter, who turns 46 today, is the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and older brother of Zara, 42.

Unlike their cousins, neither Peter nor Zara have a title – which would be in line with Princess Anne’s wish that her children would have had as normal a life as possible.

While Zara has followed their parents in making a name for themselves as a leading equestrian, Peter has delved into a series of business ventures – not without the occasional controversy.

Peter was fifth in the order of succession at birth, but has steadily moved up as Prince Edward and Prince Andrew have had families of their own.

Yet the 46-year-old is a central figure in the Windsor family and played a major role in the funerals of both his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.

He walked through the streets of London behind Her Majesty’s coffin in September with his cousins, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Peter’s younger sister Zara Phillips Tindall arrived in May 1981. He also has two half-sisters, Stephanie Phillips and Felicity Tonkin, Mark Phillips’ other children.

Both Peter and Zara spent a lot of time growing up with their cousins, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Peter attended Port Regis Prep School in Shaftesbury before later going to Gordonstoun in Scotland.

It was this school that his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his uncles King Charles III, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward attended.

After school, Peter spent time traveling in Sydney and working for former motorcycle racer Jackie Stewart, who was a friend of Princess Anne and part of the Queen’s inner circle, as part of the F1 racing team.

Peter later studied sports science and played varsity rugby at the University of Exeter.

He got a job in hospitality management at Jaguar Land Rover, before moving to the Williams racing team as a sponsorship account manager.

Peter met his future wife, Canadian-born Autumn Kelly, at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix while Peter was working for Williams F1.

He left racing in September 2005 for a job as a manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Two years later, in July 2007, Peter and Autumn announced their engagement and were married in May 2008 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

In December 2010, Autumn gave birth to the Queen’s first great-grandchild, Savannah, followed in March 2012 by the couple’s second daughter, Isla.

After 14 years together, the couple confirmed the news that they had split in February 2020. Their divorce was finalized 16 months later in June 2021.

Their statement read as follows: ‘After informing HM The Queen and members of both families last year, Peter and Autumn mutually agreed to separate. They had come to the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and their continued friendship.

‘Both families were of course saddened by the announcement, but fully supported Peter and Autumn in their joint decision to raise their children together. Both Peter and Autumn will remain in Gloucestershire to raise their two children, where they have lived for a number of years.”

He has since found love again with Lindsay Wallace, an old school friend from his £40,000-a-year Gordonstoun days.

The pair were first photographed together when Lindsay joined Peter at August Brooksbank and Lucas Tindall’s double royal christening in November 2021.

The seriousness of their relationship became clear when Ms Wallace joined her royal pal at three separate Platinum Jubilee events last year: the Epsom Derby, the Platinum Party and the Platinum Pageant.

And most recently the pair were pictured laughing together at the Coronation concert in May as they watched from the royal box in the grounds of the Windsor Estate.

Peter is not a ‘working royal’ and does not receive state support. He recently returned to F1 as head of partner acquisition for sports and entertainment rights agency CSM Sport & Entertainment.

But in 2020, Peter had turned to other means of raising money, using his royal status to sell Jersey-produced milk in China.

In a television advertisement for Bright Dairies, shown on the country’s Dragon TV, Peter was seen being brought a glass of milk by a butler.

“This is what I drink,” he says to the tagline: “British Royal Family Member, Peter Phillips.”

The episode raised eyebrows.

Princess Anne’s son was paid £750,000 for a two-year ‘commercial services contract’ to organize the Queen’s 90th birthday street party.

Those wanting to attend the picnic lunch on the Mall to celebrate the Queen’s birthday had to pay £150 per head, a price tag her grandson Peter defended.