Who are Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall and why are they not Prince and Princess?

Princess Anne’s children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall are among the senior royals participating in the ceremonial events mourning the Queen.

The siblings born to the Princess Royal and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips, are the Queen’s eldest grandchildren.

However, neither Peter nor Zara – who are expected to mount a vigil around the Queen’s coffin alongside their cousins the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex -hold any royal ranks.

Here’s everything you need to know about Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall as well as why they don’t have royal titles.

Who is Peter Phillips?

Peter Phillips, 44, is the eldest child of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips.

Born in November 1977, Peter was fifth in line to the throne at his birth, which he remained until the birth of Prince William five years later.

Now 17th in line, Mr Phillips was married to Canadian management consultant Autumn Kelly from 2008 to 2019.

Together they have two children, Savannah, 11 and Isla, 10.

He is currently dating Ms Lindsay Wallace, the daughter of an oil tycoon who attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland with Peter’s sister Zara Tindall.

Ms Wallace who has known the family for years made her first official appearance as Phillips’ girlfriend at Epsom earlier this year.

Mr Phillips reportedly introduced her to the Queen at a shooting party at Windsor just after Christmas 2021.

Mr Phillips, has a degree in sports science and has been managing director at boutique sports management company SEL UK since 2012. He previously worked at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Who is Zara Tindall?

Peter’s younger sister Zara, 41, was born in May 1981.

She has followed in her mother’s footsteps as a talented equestrian.

Like Princess Anne who competed for team GB, in the 1976 Montreal Olympics Zara was a member of the GB equestrian team in the London 2012 Olympics, even winning a silver medal.

Zara is married to former England rugby player Mike Tindall and shares three children, Mia Grace, Lena Elizabeth and Lucas Philip, with him.

She is also the godmother of Prince George, the eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Why are Peter and Zara not Prince and Princess?

Princess Anne’s children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall are both senior members of the royal family but they don’t hold any royal titles.

According to royal tradition, only male royals can pass down their royal titles and you can only be a prince or a princess if you have a father in the direct line of succession.

This means that Peter and Zara, who are children of Princess Anne and a commoner Mark Phillips, cannot be given prince or princess titles.

While they could have been given some other royal title, it was the Princess Royal herself who decided not to give her children any titles.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, the Princess Royal said ‘I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles. So I think that was probably the right thing to do.’

In fact, Peter Phillips was the first legitimate grandchild of a monarch to be born without a title in more than 500 years, after his parents reportedly refused the Queen’s offer of one.

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