It’s a heavy family secret. After the death of Elizabeth II, eyes are on England and the members of the royal family. If King Charles III attracts all eyes, in the background, his sister Princess Anne is the subject of a lot of sympathy from the fans. Always dignified even in mourning, Her Majesty’s only daughter knew how to please by always remaining discreet. And this even when she found at the heart of a real scandal. In question, her husband Mark Phillips.
In 1973, Princess Anne married former British Army officer Major Mark Phillips. And between them is mad love. The couple shares the same passion for horses. But the two riders emeritus end up separating in 1992, after the revelation of an extramarital relationship of Mark Phillips. Not happy to have had an affair, Mark Philips had an illegitimate child during this one-night adventure in an Auckland hotel with a certain Heather Tonkin, a New Zealand art teacher, whom he had known in 1983. A month later, she discovers that she is pregnant and the reveals to the person concerned.
Illegitimate child, abortion and remittances
The scandal continues. Mark Phillips intimate to Heather Tonkin to abort, in his words. But this one refuses and then obtains from the ex-Olympic champion by horse riding team (Munich 1972) that he pays him money. Indeed, she would then have received 6500 euros per year under “equestrian consultant“. But when the payments stop, the New Zealander decides to take him to court. In 1991, the case therefore becomes public, unfortunately for Princess Anne. At this time the couple is already separated and the divorce is pronounced the following year.While the royal family is already faced with the end of Charles and Diana’s marriage, which makes a lot of noise, this case of illegitimate child and payment of money does nothing to fix things.
Today, Felicity Wade is 37 years old and shares her father’s passion for horses, whom she long believed to be dead. The young New Zealander also married in March 2015 an Englishman from Sussex, Tristan Wade, who has already played polo with Princes William and Harry. The (royal) world is small.