Peter Phillips looks cheerful as he joins Natalie Pinkham at Royal Ascot
The smile that says ‘I’m single’! Peter Phillips looks cheerful as he joins Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Natalie Pinkham at Royal Ascot in first appearance since divorce from wife Autumn was finalised
- The Queen’s eldest grandson Peter Phillips attended Ladies Day at Royal Ascot
- He appeared to be in good spirits while watching the races with Natalie Pinkham
- Princess Anne’s son, 43, was also joined his sister Zara Tindall in the Royal Box
- First appearance since he and wife Autumn divorced after 12 years of marriage
The Queen‘s eldest grandson Peter Phillips appeared to be in good spirits today as he attended Ladies Day at Royal Ascot.
Peter, 43, was spotted enjoying a playful chat with F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham, who is a close friend of his sister Zara Tindall, in his first public outing since his divorce was finalised earlier this week.
The royal officially split with wife Autumn, 42, – with whom he has daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven – after telling their families of their ‘amicable’ decision to end their marriage two years ago.
But today the royal appeared relaxed and joyful as he cheered on runners during the event, and could be seen sharing friendly chats with his fellow guests in the Royal Box.
Mother-of-two Natalie, who is married to television executive Owain Walbyoff, once dated Prince Harry, but these days her relationships with the royal family are purely platonic, and she’s a close friend of both Zara Tindall and Princes Eugenie, having attended both their weddings.
Peter Phillips looked cheerful as he joined Natalie Pinkham at Royal Ascot today in his first appearance since divorce from wife Autumn was finalised
The royal officially split with wife Autumn, 42, – with whom he has daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven – on Monday, but today he appeared to be having a wonderful time in the Royal Box
Peter, 43, was spotted enjoying a playful chat with F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham, who arrived with his sister Zara Tindall
The royal cut a handsome figure in a black tailcoat paired with a grey waistcoat, purple tie and pink rose boutonnière. Mother-of-three Zara, 40, donned a chic floral number by Erdem with an eye-catching bespoke hat by Sarah Cant and her trusty RayBan sunglasses.
Natalie opted for a chic monochrome ensemble paired with a matching headdress – while her badge said only her own name, following a change in tradition which saw female guest identified with their husband’s name rather than their own.
Harry’s former flame Natalie, 43, is a television presenter and F1 reporter for Sky Sports who lives in west London with her husband of nine years Owain and their two children Willow, six, and seven-year-old Wilfred.
Peter, who will continue living in Gloucestershire to co-parent his daughters- announced the finalisation of his divorce on Monday, and said it was ‘the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship’.
Today the royal appeared relaxed and joyful as he cheered on runners from the royal box during the event
The royal, picture closely watching the races today, cut a handsome figure in a black tailcoat paired with a grey waistcoat, purple tie and pink rose boutonnière
F1 presenter Natalie is a close friend of Peter’s sister Zara and the trio were seen watching the races together from the Royal Box today
A statement, released by a spokesperson on behalf of the couple, said: ‘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.
‘Whilst this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the wellbeing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla first and foremost.
‘Both Peter and Autumn are pleased to have resolved matters amicably with the children firmly at the forefront of those thoughts and decisions.
‘Peter and Autumn have requested privacy and consideration for their children as the family adapts to a new chapter in their lives.’
The breakdown of Autumn and Peter’s marriage will be particularly painful for the Queen, 95, who enjoys a close relationship with her grandson’s wife.
Princess Anne’s son can be seen chatting with guests in the Royal Box at Ladies Day today
Peter can be seen having a friendly chat with Natalie, who opted for a chic monochrome ensemble paired with a matching headdress
Peter is pictured looking happy and relaxed as he chats with 43-year-old presenter Natalie at the races today
Natalie appeared to be delighted with the result as a slightly bemused looking Zara looked on at the event
Last year an unnamed friend of the couple told the Sun: ‘Autumn is a favourite of the Queen and I’m sure Her Majesty will be very upset by this as well. It’s the last thing she needs after all her recent troubles and you get the feeling that the Royal Family is falling apart a little bit.’
Peter and Autumn, who stay largely out of the media spotlight, were last seen publicly together when they joined the Queen and Prince Charles at the annual Highland Games Gathering at Braemar in September 2019.
They did not join the royal family for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. Peter Phillips was seen without his wife as he arrived at church on the Norfolk estate during a stay in January 2020.
Peter has enjoyed a decidedly more low-key life than his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry that started with his mother Princess Anne’s decision not to give him and his younger sister Zara, now married to Mike Tindall, any royal titles.
Natalie and Peter were seen celebrating their result while watching the Ladies Day races with Zara
Mother-of-three Zara, 40, donned a chic floral number by Erdem with an eye-catching bespoke hat by Sarah Cant as she looked on with brother Peter and pal Natalie
In March this year it was reported that Peter had driven to Aberdeenshire from Gloucestershire to see mother-of-two Lindsay Wallace, 40, a close friend of his sister Zara who knows them both from their £40,000-a-year boarding school.
Furious locals called the police when Peter appeared at Wallace’s £475,000 home in the village of St Cyrus near Montrose. Lindsay has also separated from her spouse – but it is not known when the pair started seeing each other.
The royal said the trip to Scotland was made as a marketing consultant for company XF Medical, set up last June to provide rapid Covid tests and antibody tests for businesses. Peter has denied they are a couple.
Peter is reportedly ‘besotted’ with Lindsay, who he has known for ‘quite some time’ having been three years above her at private boarding school and he understood to have made a trip to her home last August. There is no suggestion he broke Covid rules during that journey.
Wallace is the daughter of a well-off oil tycoon and is thought to have split from her husband Andrew, who she married in 2010. She was pictured at Zara’s wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011.
Last year, Autumn and Peter announced they had split at the end of 2019, and confirmed they would continue to live in Gloucestershire and co-parent their children Savannah, 9, and Isla, 7 (seen last June)
In March this year it was revealed that Peter had driven to Aberdeenshire from Gloucestershire to see mother-of-two Lindsay Wallace, 40, a close friend of his sister Zara. She is pictured wearing a cream-coloured top and a pink hat at Zara’s wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011
She attended Aberdeenshire private school Gordonstoun – which was also attended by Prince Philip and Prince Charles – in the same year as Zara, 40. She and Peter are believed to have been reacquainted at a school reunion.
Rumours of Natalie and Harry’s liaison started to whirl in 2006 after pictures surfaced of the pair and a source reported at the time that the Duke of Sussex was ‘absolutely infatuated with Natalie’.
The duo, who mix in the same circles, were said to have remained close friends and enjoyed regular meet-ups over the years, with Natalie becoming his ‘drinking buddy and confidante’.
However it was reported in May 2019 that the pair had become more distant since Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018, with a source telling The Sun: ‘They were super close but it was purely platonic. When Harry got together with Meghan their relationship rapidly changed — it just went flat and noticeably cooled off.’
Despite announcing his split from Canadian-born Autumn, a former events assistant, in 2019, the pair have been living together at Gatcombe Park for the sake of their daughters.
Rumours of Natalie Pinkham and Harry’s liaison started to whirl in 2006 after pictures surfaced of the pair. They are pictured in 2011
Prince Harry is pictured chatting to Natalie at the BGC Partner’s 7th Annual Charity Trading Day in Canary Wharf, London in 2011
The Sky Sports presenter was spotted with the Duke of Sussex driving around South Kensington, London in February 2007
While the 43-year-old was rarely spotted outside the royal circle while married to the Queen’s grandson, in the time since their split several snaps have been shared online showing the mother-of-two beaming as she embarks on single life.
During her time in the royal family, Autumn was usually only seen at official engagements, and was last pictured with Peter in at Cheltenham Racecourse in March 2020.
Prior to that, she appeared alongside Peter in Scotland with Prince Charles and the Queen during the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering at the Fife Memorial Park, Braemar, in September 2019.
However, in the two years since the couple’s break-up, friends of Autumn have taken to sharing stunning snaps of the royal on social media as they enjoy wild weekends away and party together.
Previously unseen photographs of Autumn Phillips, 43, show the royal enjoying wild weekends away with her friends and partying at some of London’s swankiest restaurants after her split from Peter Phillips (pictured centre in October 2020 with Anna-Louise Felstead, left, and another friend, Lulu, right)
‘Breakfast at Heathrow’: The mother-of-two was seen without her engagement or wedding ring while drinking champagne at Heathrow with close friend Anna-Louise Felstead as they set off on a girly weekend away (pictured Autumn left, and Anna-Louise, right, in October 2020)
At the time of the couple’s split, a source close to the family told Vanity Fair their break-up came after a long period of discussion and said the royal family feel ‘sad but supportive of the situation’.
They added: ‘At the moment they are still sharing the marital home in Gloucestershire and there are no plans for a quickie divorce, there’s no rush and there is no suggestion of Autumn going to Canada.’
The source said the couple had ‘very sadly grown apart’, and said they’d been having discussions about their marriage for ‘some time’. They added that the royal family had been aware things ‘hadn’t been going well’ since the autumn.
A statement issued by Gerard Franklin, their official spokesperson, at the time of announcing their split read: ‘After informing HM The Queen and members of both families last year, Peter and Autumn jointly agreed to separate.
Happier times: Peter plants a cheeky kiss on his wife’s cheek at the Cheltenham festival in 2018
‘They had reached the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship. 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.
‘Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children.
‘Both Peter and Autumn have remained in Gloucestershire to bring up their two children where they have been settled for a number of years. Peter and Autumn have requested privacy and compassion for their children while the family continues to adapt to these changes.’