Early Life
Peter Phillips was born at 10:46 am on 15 November 1977 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington in west London. He was the first child of Mark Phillips and The Princess Anne, who had married in 1973. His parents were said to have refused offers from The Queen that would have led to his being born in the peerage. Phillips was therefore the first legitimate grandchild of a monarch to be born without a title or courtesy style for more than 500 years. Before him the last grandchildren born without any title or style were the children of Cecily of York, the daughter of Edward IV. At birth he was fifth in line to the Throne, and remained so until Prince William's birth in 1982. At the time of his birth, there was a 41-gun salute from the Tower of London. He was baptised Peter Mark Andrew Phillips on 22 December 1977 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace. His godparents were his uncle, The Prince of Wales, the Rt. Rev'd. Geoffrey Tiarks, Captain Hamish Lochore, Lady Cecil Cameron of Lochiel and Jane Holderness-Roddam. Princess Anne and Captain Phillips (who also had a daughter, Zara, in 1981) tried to ensure that their children were kept out of the limelight. Phillips has two half-sisters, Felicity Tonkin (born 1985), the daughter of Mark Phillips and his former mistress Heather Tonkin, and Stephanie Phillips (born 1997), the daughter of his father's second marriage to Sandy Pflueger.
Peter Phillips went to Port Regis Prep School in Shaftesbury, Dorset before following other members of the Royal Family by attending Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland. Whilst at Gordonstoun, he was chosen to be head boy and also played rugby for the Scottish school's team. Then he went to the University of Exeter and graduated with a degree in sports science. At university, he played for the Exeter University Rugby League team.
Following the death of his aunt Diana, Princess of Wales, Peter Phillips was known to be very supportive of his cousin Prince William.
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