Inside Peter Phillips' Relationship With His Ex-Wife Autumn Kelly

Peter Phillips, the eldest son of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, has led a pretty private existence — well, for a member of the royal family, that is. While his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry have spent their entire lives smack-dab in the middle of the spotlight, Peter's been able to maintain some sense of normalcy as far as his personal and professional lives are concerned. 

That said, Peter's certainly not a total stranger to being in the public eye, as his romantic relationships have long been a talking point for royal fans and publications alike. His first relationship to go public was with Elizabeth Lorio; the two lived together for eight months in 2001. Their two-year relationship ended, and in 2002, he started dating Tara Swain. They split after four months. And then, he linked up with Montreal native Autumn Kelly. 

After connecting in 2003, Kelly and Peter went on to have what seemed like a love story for the ages. Peter, who was frequently referred to as Queen Elizabeth II's favorite grandson, kicked off their courtship with a meet-cute that feels straight out of a rom-com, and his charming proposal mishap sounds nothing short of cinematic, too. However, just like a movie, this love story did not last forever: After 17 years, Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly's relationship drew to a close. Here's what we know about the former royal couple's life together and the efforts they've made to stay on good terms for the sake of their daughters.  

Luckily, Peter Phillips' name blunder didn't stop Autumn Kelly from going out with him; they both sensed a spark right out the gate. As Kelly told Hello!, she eagerly accepted his invitation to another event (via The Telegraph). "When Peter smiled at me, I thought, 'Okayyyy! I'll definitely meet you at the party,'" she stated. They stayed in touch, keeping a long-distance courtship; Kelly was still in Montreal and Phillips was in England. A job located in England fell in Kelly's lap, and she accepted. 

Six weeks into their courtship, just before Kelly made the move across the pond, Prince William's "Out of Africa"-themed party took place. The event was televised, and to Kelly's surprise, Peter Phillips was an attendee. She soon learned that he wasn't just any old guest, but a cousin of the future monarch. 

Understandably, this was quite a revelation for Kelly. What's more, her family couldn't believe she'd struck up a romance with a royal. As Kelly told Hello! magazine (via Mirror), "Mum said, 'Oh Autumn! What have you gotten yourself into?'"

Though Peter Phillips' mother, Princess Anne, declined to give her son a title, he still has a place in the line of succession. When he was born, Phillips was 5th in the line of succession. As of this writing, he's in the 18th spot.

However, questions arose regarding his place in the line of succession when he got engaged to Autumn Kelly. Under the 1701 Act of Settlement, anyone in the direct line of succession cannot convert to Catholicism or marry a Catholic. This meant that if Kelly — who was raised Roman Catholic — were to marry Phillips, he would have to relinquish his place in the line of succession.

By 2015, the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 was implemented, and marrying a member of the Catholic Church no longer disqualified a royal from the line of succession. However, Phillips and Kelly were set to wed in 2008, so that new rule was not yet in effect. Kelly ultimately decided to leave the Catholic Church and join the Church of England, which ultimately preserved Phillips' succession position. A royal insider told The Telegraph that Kelly wasn't influenced by the royal family to take action. "She was not asked to do this, she did it of her own accord," they said. 

While royals like Sarah Ferguson have experienced awkward moments in the public eye, Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly have made an effort to keep a low profile over the years. Alas, the freshly married couple found themselves in hot water after they reportedly made a major decision without the approval of their royal family.

As noted in The Telegraph, Phillips and Kelly reportedly made a £500,000 deal with Hello! to publish 59 pages of their wedding pictures in their magazine. These photographs included snaps of royal attendees like Princess Catherine, Prince William, Prince Harry, and, most notably, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Buckingham Palace wasn't terribly thrilled about the magazine having access to photographs of the queen at the ceremony. Making matters worse, The Telegraph confirmed that she was not informed about the deal before the issue's release. With Buckingham Palace viewing it as an invasion of privacy, there were mixed opinions regarding the severity of the incident. While Ian Gibson, a Member of Parliament, told the publication that the queen was blowing the situation out of proportion, a senior royal insider suggested this was inexcusable, stating, "In hindsight, it should have never have happened in the first place."

As previously noted, Peter Phillips was born into a royal family, but he never received a royal title. His parents, Princess Anne Mark Phillips, wanted their children to lead relatively normal lives, and as far as they are concerned, being a working royal is anything but normal. As a result, Peter and his sister, Zara Tindall, experienced life under royalty without heavy obligations. The same can be said about Princess Anne's daughter-in-law, Autumn Kelly. 

As a non-working royal, Peter is an accomplished businessman, with his most notable gig being a managing director for the company SEL UK. Alternatively, Kelly worked as a bartender and model before pursuing a career as a managing consultant. This career path played a part in her moving to England during the earlier stages of her relationship with Peter. The sense of normalcy they were provided kept the couple shrouded in mystery. Aside from a number of public appearances at royal events, there was nothing publications could necessarily report on since they kept themselves out of the public and led normal lives. Their quality of life shouldn't be shocking to anyone, as according to Daily Mail, Peter and Kelly deemed themselves regular people who "work full time, enjoy our weekends and get on with our lives like anybody else."

After 12 years of marriage, Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly shocked the public in 2020 when they released a joint statement about their decision to divorce. The two quietly split up in 2019, and they didn't deem it necessary to formally announce their separation until the following year. 

While they didn't offer a specific reason for the dissolution of their marriage, a spokesperson for Peter and Kelly told People that both parties were on the same page about the decision. "They had reached the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship," the statement read. 

The spokesperson also confirmed that Peter and Kelly planned to share custody of Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips. What's more, they were committed to making these changes as easy as possible for their girls. "The couple's first priority will remain the continued well-being and upbringing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla," the statement read. "Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children." It was also noted that Peter and Kelly both intended to stay in Gloucestershire for the sake of their children.