Autumn Phillips, 43, is the Canadian ex-wife of Peter Phillips, 44. The blonde was born in Montreal, Quebec which is where she met her future husband. The couple met at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix. However, she did not learn he was related to the British Queen until six weeks later. They married on May 17, 2008 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, where Harry and Meghan wed 10 years later almost to the day on May 19.
The couple went on to have two daughters, Savannah, 10, and Isla, nine.
Autumn’s wedding was a relatively low-key affair for royal nuptials.
Peter proposed with an £80,000 ring, which may be expensive for the average Briton, but is a minor expense compared to Meghan Markle’s wedding ring for instance, which is worth over £150,000.
The ring had a centre oval diamond, with two additional diamonds on either side, all set on a platinum band.
It was a beautiful three stone white gold design. The three-stone design is very similar to that of Meghan Markle’s ring from Prince Harry.
READ MORE: The Queen’s secret Christmas tree has ‘minimal decor’
Autumn’s Sassi Holford bespoke dress was also cheaper than the average royal wedding down. The duchess satin and lace gown is reported to have cost £3,000.
Kate Middleton’s, on the other hand, cost £250,000, which Meghan’s cost even more at over £300,000.
Autumn’s dress fitted the wedding dress style from the 2000s perfectly and she accessorised with a glittering regal tiara.
Autumn wore the Festoon tiara on her big day, which she borrowed from Princess Anne, her mother-in-law.
However, the pretty piece would not be allowed to be accepted by the Royal Family today. This is because it was given to Anne by the World Wide Shipping Group.
DON’T MISS:
Royals no longer accept gifts such as these as a royal protocol rule.
Princess Anne lent her daughter-in-law the incredible wedding gift so Autumn could look and feel like royalty on her wedding day.
The Queen’s daughter has since been pictured wearing the sparkling tiara on numerous occasions, including during a banquet at the Guildhall in 2017 when she paired it with the matching necklace.
Charlotte White, head of design at Europe’s largest online diamond jeweller 77 Diamonds, told Express.co.uk: “There is one dramatic, classic and opulent diamond necklace that Princess Anne clearly adores because she has been photographed wearing it, again and again, over the course of decades – the Festoon necklace.
“It’s actually part of a suite, or set, with matching earrings which Princess Anne received for her 18th birthday from her parents, the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh.
“The necklace is a dazzling, antique piece in a flowing design of ribbons, bows and pendant drops.
“Princess Anne notably chose to wear both the necklace and earrings in her ravishing engagement picture in 1973 to Captain Mark Phillips, father of her children.
“In 2011, Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall wore the very same earrings on her wedding day, combined with the stunning Greek Key Tiara, in a geometrical style, which had belonged to Prince Philip’s mother.”
However, the Festoon Necklace was nowhere to be seen on Autumn’s wedding day.
Instead, the bride accessorised with pearl earrings and a matching necklace, which Peter had sent to her at Windsor Castle the night before their nuptials.
During Peter and Autumn’s 12-year marriage, the pair conducted their relationship largely out of the limelight.
There is still very little known about Autumn, who grew up in the Canadian factory town of Peterborough with twin brother Chris and elder brother Kevin.
Peter and Autumn lived nearby to Princess Anne on her Gatcombe Park estate.
However, Peter and Autumn announced their split in February 2020 and they officially divorced on Monday, June 14, 2021.