As members of The Royal Family prepare to gather for Peter
Phillips’ wedding to Harriet Sperling this weekend, one relative is
expected to be missing from the celebrations.
King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales
are among the royals believed to be attending the ceremony at All
Saints’ Church in Gloucestershire on Saturday. Peter’s close-knit
extended family is also expected to be well represented.
However, one little-known member of the family is unlikely to be
among the guests.
Felicity Tonkin, the daughter of Captain Mark Phillips and New
Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin, is Peter and Zara Tindall’s
half-sister. Despite sharing the same father, Felicity does not
have any relationship with either of Princess Anne’s children.
Her existence became public in
1991 when it emerged that Captain Mark had fathered a daughter
during his marriage to Princess Anne. DNA testing subsequently
confirmed his paternity.
Felicity was born in New Zealand in August 1985 following a
brief relationship between Mark Phillips and Heather Tonkin. The
revelation sparked one of the most significant royal scandals of
the era and came during the final years of Anne and Mark’s
marriage, which formally ended in divorce in 1992.
Now aged 40, Felicity has built a life far away from the royal
spotlight. Like her half-sister Zara, she developed a love of
horses and went on to become a specialist equine veterinarian.
Over the years, reports have consistently suggested that
Felicity has never met Peter or Zara. She was not present at
Peter’s wedding to Autumn Phillips in 2008, nor at Zara’s marriage
to Mike Tindall three years later.
Family members have previously indicated that she has chosen to
maintain a private life in New Zealand rather than pursue any
connection with the Royal Family.
Friends have described Felicity as content with her life away
from public attention. In comments previously attributed to her,
she suggested she had considered telling her side of the story but
preferred not to create difficulties for others, instead choosing
to live quietly.
Stephanie is the daughter of Captain Mark Phillips and his
second wife, Sandy Pflueger, and grew up on the Gatcombe Estate
alongside Princess Anne’s family. She has remained close to Peter
and Zara throughout her life, serving as a flower girl at both of
their weddings and regularly attending family occasions.
When Stephanie married William Hosier in 2022, Peter and Zara
were among the guests, while several of their children played
important roles in the ceremony.
As a result, Stephanie is widely expected to attend Peter’s
wedding this weekend, while Felicity is unlikely to make the
journey from New Zealand.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
