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Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips' 'secret' younger sister who grew up on estate

20 May 2024 , 22:47
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Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips with Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips with Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

Princess Anne's kids, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, have a half-sister who shies away from the limelight.

Stephanie Phillips, born to Princess Anne's former hubby Captain Mark Phillips and his second wife Sandy Pflueger, was raised alongside her half-brother and sister at the vast Gatcombe Park estate.

Despite the years between them, Stephanie's bond with Peter and Zara is solid, evidenced by her role as flower girl at their weddings. She's clearly a key part of the clan, with social snaps showing her goofing around with Mike Tindall and dressing up with Peter and his now-separated wife Autumn.

Autumn's post calling Stephanie "she loves her Aunty Steph" shows just how tight-knit they are. The whole gang often gets together to cheer on Zara at horse-riding events.

Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips' 'secret' younger sister who grew up on estate qhiquqiqdziqqrprwPeter Phillips and Zara Tindall have a lesser-known younger sister (Antony Jones/Getty Images For Tusk)
Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips' 'secret' younger sister who grew up on estateZara Phillips, alongside her step-sister Stephanie and her father Capt Mark Phillips (PA)

Peter and Autumn Phillips' girls, Savannah and Isla, plus Zara and Mike Tindall's daughters Mia and Lena, all call the Gatcombe Estate home a Royal wedding present from the Queen to Captain Phillips and they're super close. Stephanie, who's set up shop in Worcester, has been with William Hosier since 2019. She's an alumna of Dean Close School in Cheltenham and the University of Worcester.

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Like her mum, who was a member of the US dressage team in the 1984 Olympics and worked internationally, and her dad who spent years training the US team in America, Stephanie seems to share a love for travel. Her father met Princess Anne at horse-riding events, and they got hitched in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey in November 1973.

Peter arrived four years later and Zara another four years after that, but by the time their parents split in 1989, it's believed they were both seeing other people. In 1991, DNA tests confirmed that Captain Phillips had a daughter, Felicity, with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin in 1985 while still married.

It's not known if Felicity has ever met Zara, Peter and Stephanie, but in 2017, she and her husband Tristan welcomed baby James into the world.

Janet Hughes

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