London: Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson Peter Phillips and his Canadian wife Autumn have separated after, over a decade-long marriage, reports said on Tuesday. A statement issued on the couple, who were married in 2008 and have two daughters, said the decision to divorce was “the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship”, the BBC reported. It said they will share custody of children Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven.
Both of their families were “sad” but “fully supportive” of the decision to “co-parent”, it added. “The decision to divorce and share custody came about after many months of discussions and although sad, is an amicable one,” the statement said, requesting privacy for the family as they “adapt to these changes”. The couple told the Queen and other Royal Family members about their decision last year.
Phillips met management consultant Autumn Kelly, 41, at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in 2003, while he was working for the Williams Formula 1 team. They got married at the St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle five years later.
The son of the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, Phillips is the eldest grandchild of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. He is the 15th in line to the British throne.
While a member of the Royal Family, he is not a working royal and does not have a royal title because he is descended from the female line. He refused the offer of an earldom when he married so his children do not have courtesy titles. (IANS)