Peter and Autumn Phillips To Divorce: February 11, 2020


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:previous: She has lived in the UK for over a decade. A large chunk of her adult life. She doesn’t seem like a cold mean person who no one would want around. Pretty confident she had friends, activities and a life beyond her kids in the UK.

For all her being Canadian after what 15 years abroad between the UK and Asia settling back in Canada wouldn’t be easy. Not returning to her job or to old friends. Life moved on in Canada too. She is not a recent transplant she has been an expat most of her adult life.

It truly is sad news but hopefully the announcement is true and divorcing as friends. Makes for coparenting much easier. We see the York girls how better adjusted they were in ways as their parents divorce was amicable.

As for Beatrice wedding it stands to be seen. Divorced members are not automatically off the list. It seems to depend on the relationship you had with the divorced member. Almost twelve years in the family officially she should have a relationship with the cousins.

William didn’t invite the exes. But Harry had two of his three former aunts at his wedding. Fergie and Victoria were both present (only 2nd countess Spencer was not).

To be fair she probably still considers Canada home, its where she grew up etc, just because she has lived in the UK for many years (and I imagine she enjoys living there) she probably misses it a lot. It must be hard living away for away from your immediate family.

Edward did not invite Fergie to his wedding even though they got on well IIRC, however I guess that was understandable given the time he got married. But Autumn is not really a prominent member of the family so it would really be indifferent if she was there or not. Surely the Royal family would be use to inviting former in laws, they have had enough practice.
 
Sad news especially for the children - loved seeing Autumn at extended family events. She came across really to have a great bond with the Queen and Peter's cousins and sister
 
I wonder if Autumn is returning now to communion with the Roman Catholic Church. I apologize if the topic has been discussed before, but I didn’t read the whole thread.

Would not Autumn be required to take RCIA religious classes for several months to become a Roman Catholic once again?
 
I doubt that would be required. If Autumn already has her sacraments then she's been through the required religious education.
 
Would not Autumn be required to take RCIA religious classes for several months to become a Roman Catholic once again?

As a lifelong practicing Catholic I'll weigh in here and say that in all likelihood the decision would lie with the priest and the bishop of the diocese in which she attends Mass. Technically, yes, I believe she would need to participate in RCIA classes but in practice, it's possible that they'd ask her to meet with the priest and/or the bishop a time or two, attend Confession, etc. and would then reinstate her.
 
The telegraph is reporting friends of the couple saying the likely outcome will be Autumn living nearby to Peter to help them share looking after the children and to allow them all to stay in touch with Peter's family.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...tumn-phillips-neighbours-divorce-say-friends/

Peter and Autumn Phillips intend to be neighbours after their divorce, according to friends who yesterday denied their break-up was linked to ‘Megxit’.

The Queen found out about her grandson’s separation from his Canadian wife of 12 years last autumn, more than three months before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior royals to move to North America.

Last night, sources close to Mr and Mrs Phillips insisted Autumn had no intention of returning to her native Montreal, revealing that the couple are still living together at the family home in Gloucestershire and plan to "live nearby" once their divorce is finalised.

“The idea that this is in any way linked to Megxit is laughable,” said one insider. “Autumn has no plans to go back to Canada. She is very happy in Gloucestershire and wants their daughters Savannah and Isla to be as close to Peter and his family as possible. They are still living together and intend to remain living nearby.”
 
Sad to see yesterday's rumors confirmed.

It's interesting how the statement focuses on them wanting to remain friends and (therefore) seeking divorce.
 
They're not likely to make a statement which insinuates that the marriage has ended badly and they are not friends. I shouldn't wonder though if Autumn might go back to Canada when the girls are older...
 
They're not likely to make a statement which insinuates that the marriage has ended badly and they are not friends. I shouldn't wonder though if Autumn might go back to Canada when the girls are older...

Of course not. Although I would hope that in most marriages it would be possible to remain married when you want to keep your friendship :ermm:.
 
Of course not. Although I would hope that in most marriages it would be possible to remain married when you want to keep your friendship :ermm:.

In some cases I think that's probably true but I've known more than one divorced couple that share many similarities to Sarah and Andrew in the fact that it's quite obvious to everyone who knows them that they're better as friends than as spouses. I really couldn't say why, I just know that it's true. I guess maybe sometimes things that are a little bit too intimate would threaten to destroy a marriage but with the bit of space that a close friendship brings they wouldn't seem so damaging or all-encompassing.
 
As a lifelong practicing Catholic I'll weigh in here and say that in all likelihood the decision would lie with the priest and the bishop of the diocese in which she attends Mass. Technically, yes, I believe she would need to participate in RCIA classes but in practice, it's possible that they'd ask her to meet with the priest and/or the bishop a time or two, attend Confession, etc. and would then reinstate her.

Not sure she would need to be re-catechized but I agree, the decision is up to the bishop of the diocese she would reside in.

At the very least she would need to make a Confession of Faith and receive the Eucharist after the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

But I don't see her returning to the Church, frankly.
 
Not sure she would need to be re-catechized but I agree, the decision is up to the bishop of the diocese she would reside in.

At the very least she would need to make a Confession of Faith and receive the Eucharist after the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

But I don't see her returning to the Church, frankly.

I really don't, either. For a variety of reasons. But no matter what she chooses to do regarding religion I certainly wouldn't expect a statement so I don't really think we'll ever know for sure. But I agree with you, I don't see her ever returning to the Church.
 
The telegraph is reporting friends of the couple saying the likely outcome will be Autumn living nearby to Peter to help them share looking after the children and to allow them all to stay in touch with Peter's family.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...tumn-phillips-neighbours-divorce-say-friends/

Peter and Autumn Phillips intend to be neighbours after their divorce, according to friends who yesterday denied their break-up was linked to ‘Megxit’.

The Queen found out about her grandson’s separation from his Canadian wife of 12 years last autumn, more than three months before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down as senior royals to move to North America.

Last night, sources close to Mr and Mrs Phillips insisted Autumn had no intention of returning to her native Montreal, revealing that the couple are still living together at the family home in Gloucestershire and plan to "live nearby" once their divorce is finalised.

“The idea that this is in any way linked to Megxit is laughable,” said one insider. “Autumn has no plans to go back to Canada. She is very happy in Gloucestershire and wants their daughters Savannah and Isla to be as close to Peter and his family as possible. They are still living together and intend to remain living nearby.”

I’m really glad about that...it’s a devastating turn of events, but Peter and Autumn seem to be handling this as well as possible

Of course not. Although I would hope that in most marriages it would be possible to remain married when you want to keep your friendship :ermm:.

Well, for those couples whose marriages are intact and thriving, that’s no doubt the case. However, if a couple has grown apart, wants different things out of life, etc...then remaining in the marriage will only breed resentment, and if that grows, maintaining a friendship is nearly impossible. To save a friendship, you often have to end a marriage.
 
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They're not likely to make a statement which insinuates that the marriage has ended badly and they are not friends. I shouldn't wonder though if Autumn might go back to Canada when the girls are older...

I doubt it, the girls will more than likely remain in the UK, marry and have children. Autumn will most likely want to be near her daughters and grandchildren at that point.
 
Wonder how Princess Anne is taking the news? She is probably pragmatic about it.
 
Yep. The Princess Royal is the definition of being pragmatic. She's been down that road, done the divorce thing and earned the t-shirt. With the Phillips remaining friends and co-parenting their girls, its not that much different to having her own ex-husband living on the Gatcomb estate and still being on friendly terms with him as she moved on and married Tim.

Divorce is not always necessarily a messy, tension filled war zone and to me, it seems like the Phillips divorce is being handled in a calm, adult manner which makes it easier all the way around.
 
Apparently (according to the Sun - not necessarily trustworthy but they clearly have some insight information) the divorce is blamed on growing apart due to a lot of business travel and spending little time with each other. The queen was supposedly informed in September (probably the weekend they attended the Games in Scotland together?) and for the moment they still share a house but one of them intends to move out at some point but the intention is to keep living nearby.
 
^I believe what The Sun is saying, they have probably just grown apart, although it sounds like Autumn initiated the divorce, she might have been unhappy for whatever reason. Sad but these things happen.

They are only minor royals but surely if there were other issues (affairs etc) in their marriage there would have been tabloid speculation.
 
Yet another blow to HMQ. The BRF is certainly not having its best time lately.

I’ve always liked peter and autumn as they were discrete and always acted accordingly to what their position requested of them. I bet the queen appreciates this, rather than a couple filled with drama and a “me me me” attitude.

The statement said autumn will remain in the U.K. in Gloucestershire. Since they probably live at gatcombe I assume that means she will find a house in the vicinity to be close to her daughters. Not sure how it would work - maybe autumn would have custody and they’d be allowed some days with Peter??? Or does coparent mean that there’s no such arrangement and they work out how many days with each as they go?

She may become catholic again - I don’t see it as a big issue it’s not like the public would ever find out if she did! (Nor doubt peter nor the queen mind)
 
This isn't 1936. Divorce isn't shocking or scandalous any more. It's sad for the people concerned, especially when there are children involved, but it's not going to affect the image or position of the Royal Family. It's good to see that Peter and Autumn are behaving in such a sensible and mature way about it.
 
Yet another blow to HMQ. The BRF is certainly not having its best time lately.

I’ve always liked peter and autumn as they were discrete and always acted accordingly to what their position requested of them. I bet the queen appreciates this, rather than a couple filled with drama and a “me me me” attitude.

The statement said autumn will remain in the U.K. in Gloucestershire. Since they probably live at gatcombe I assume that means she will find a house in the vicinity to be close to her daughters. Not sure how it would work - maybe autumn would have custody and they’d be allowed some days with Peter??? Or does coparent mean that there’s no such arrangement and they work out how many days with each as they go?

She may become catholic again - I don’t see it as a big issue it’s not like the public would ever find out if she did! (Nor doubt peter nor the queen mind)

Is she actually Catholic though or was she just brought up Catholic in Canada? I mean she could have already lapsed before she converted to the Church of England, I dont know much about her background but I cant see her going back to her Catholic faith after all these years, especially if her children are brought up in the Church of England.
 
I would say as to Bea's wedding she is probably still going to go if she were going to go in the first place. As to moving to Canada I'd think she'd stay in the UK - there's no reason for her to be in exile and she would want her children to be near their father. There's no evidence this is an acrimonious divorce.
 
We saw this Monday on French télévison "Secret d' Histoire "about the Duke of Edinburgh.
It ended with the first picture of Archie.....

I wonder if He knows about Andrew , his Son , Harry and Peter his Grandsons ?
 
I would say as to Bea's wedding she is probably still going to go if she were going to go in the first place. As to moving to Canada I'd think she'd stay in the UK - there's no reason for her to be in exile and she would want her children to be near their father. There's no evidence this is an acrimonious divorce.
not a case of exile.. but its possible that as she gets older, she might prefer to live in her own country. She will be well off enough to visit the children if they are settled in the UK when they're older. People often enjoy living in a different place for a long tiem..and as they grow older they begin to long for their native land..
 
We saw this Monday on French télévison "Secret d' Histoire "about the Duke of Edinburgh.
It ended with the first picture of Archie.....

I wonder if He knows about Andrew , his Son , Harry and Peter his Grandsons ?

If by the Duke of Edinburgh you're referring to Philip, I would imagine that he not only knows everything that has been going on in the family and their lives but also has been quite vocal in his opinions on it. He's still very much the patriarch of the Windsor family and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

The Queen may reign but Philip rules the roost where the family is concerned. He always did. Andrew was summoned to Sandringham where Philip resides mostly at Wood Farm for a pow wow with Philip and Charles. This is a good example of Philip keeping his finger on the pulse of the family.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...-prince-andrew-take-punishment-summoning-son/

not a case of exile.. but its possible that as she gets older, she might prefer to live in her own country. She will be well off enough to visit the children if they are settled in the UK when they're older. People often enjoy living in a different place for a long tiem..and as they grow older they begin to long for their native land..

Then again, there's the saying "you can't go home again". Moving away and making a new life and establishing that life in new surrounding over the years becomes home. As someone that has transplanted from my native Michigan, I'd no more think of moving back there than I would think of moving to anywhere else besides where I am. This is home for me. My life is here.

With Autumn being living in the UK and elsewhere with Peter for over a decade, she's made a new life for herself and a new home. Her children are in the UK. So, I really don't think Canada is on the agenda at all in the forseeable future. ?
 
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Would not Autumn be required to take RCIA religious classes for several months to become a Roman Catholic once again?

As a lifelong practicing Catholic I'll weigh in here and say that in all likelihood the decision would lie with the priest and the bishop of the diocese in which she attends Mass. Technically, yes, I believe she would need to participate in RCIA classes but in practice, it's possible that they'd ask her to meet with the priest and/or the bishop a time or two, attend Confession, etc. and would then reinstate her.

Is she actually Catholic though or was she just brought up Catholic in Canada? I mean she could have already lapsed before she converted to the Church of England, I dont know much about her background but I cant see her going back to her Catholic faith after all these years, especially if her children are brought up in the Church of England.

In response, I read on Peter Phillips' Wiki page that although Autumn was raised in the Roman Catholic religion, she converted to the Church of England prior to her marriage, in order for Peter to not lose his place in the line of succession. The Wiki reference is not detailed, but it seems to imply that perhaps Autumn was not a devout, practicing Roman Catholic when she met Peter. Therefore, I seriously doubt Autumn has any intention of 'returning' to the religion in which she was raised.

Conversely, that apparently was not the case for the Duchess of Kent (the former Katharine Worsley) who seemingly was a devout Roman Catholic who made personal sacrifices to marry the man she loved, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. I forget the details, but the Duchess of Kent reconverted to Roman Catholicism, and some of her children were allowed to convert to their mother's faith as well (which meant they willingly gave up their place in the line of succession). There's clearly a lot the public doesn't know about the lives of the minor members of the British royal family. Not that we actually know a lot about the intimate lives of the major royals either (in spite of tabloid nonsense).

Good luck to Peter, Autumn, Savannah & Isla as they move forward with their new family dynamic. Divorce is always hard on children. It surely matters a lot how both parents conduct themselves, which can ease and lessen some of the pain and even guilt children tend to experience.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Phillips
 
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^I believe what The Sun is saying, they have probably just grown apart, although it sounds like Autumn initiated the divorce, she might have been unhappy for whatever reason. Sad but these things happen.

They are only minor royals but surely if there were other issues (affairs etc) in their marriage there would have been tabloid speculation.

Actually they are not royals. Peter belongs to the Phillips family, rather than the “ Family and House of Windsor” or the Mountbatten-Windsor family.
 
Apparently (according to the Sun - not necessarily trustworthy but they clearly have some insight information) the divorce is blamed on growing apart due to a lot of business travel and spending little time with each other. The queen was supposedly informed in September (probably the weekend they attended the Games in Scotland together?) and for the moment they still share a house but one of them intends to move out at some point but the intention is to keep living nearby.
This reason for divorce is almost laughable to me. The most innocuous reason they could come up with.
 
Actually they are not royals. Peter belongs to the Phillips family, rather than the “ Family and House of Windsor” or the Mountbatten-Windsor family.

:previous:

Thanks for the proper clarification.

Technically Anne's children are not royals, but she is, and she's their mother. Therefore, the Phillips children and grandchildren are perceived as 'minor royals' since they are related to royals and take part in royal family gatherings, as well as public celebrations like Trooping the Colour. Actually, it seems that Peter's family takes part in some of these royal gatherings more-so than Zara Tindall and her family do. Zara seems to skip Christmas at Sandringham and I don't see her too often at Trooping, although she might be there behind-the-scenes, or her daughters are there sometimes for the BP flyover.

Technically, Kate and Meghan should never be referred to in the media by their maiden names, but they often are. There are plenty of other examples of technical breaches where the media and popular culture and public perceptions are concerned.
 
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In response, I read on Peter Phillips' Wiki page that although Autumn was raised in the Roman Catholic religion, she converted to the Church of England prior to her marriage, in order for Peter to not lose his place in the line of succession. The Wiki reference is not detailed, but it seems to imply that perhaps Autumn was not a devout, practicing Roman Catholic when she met Peter. Therefore, I seriously doubt Autumn has any intention of 'returning' to the religion in which she was raised.

Conversely, that apparently was not the case for the Duchess of Kent (the former Katharine Worsley) who seemingly was a devout Roman Catholic who made personal sacrifices to marry the man she loved, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. I forget the details, but the Duchess of Kent reconverted to Roman Catholicism, and some of her children were allowed to convert to their mother's faith as well (which meant they willingly gave up their place in the line of succession). There's clearly a lot the public doesn't know about the lives of the minor members of the British royal family. Not that we actually know a lot about the intimate lives of the major royals either (in spite of tabloid nonsense).

Good luck to Peter, Autumn, Savannah & Isla as they move forward with their new family dynamic. Divorce is always hard on children. It surely matters a lot how both parents conduct themselves, which can ease and lessen some of the pain and even guilt children tend to experience.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Phillips[/QUOTE

I don't think that Katherine Kent was born RC. She became a Catholic in her middle years, and that meant that her husband would be out of the succession. However its hardly much of a sacrifice as he was so far down the line.. and yes she is a very devout Catholic who takes her faith seriously. Her children chose to be confirmed as RC's (2 of them_) which alos took them out fo the succession at the time but again it was harldy that much of a sacrifice as they were even further down the line.
It was considered rather odd at the time, as I recall for Autumn to convert because Peter had zero chance of succeeding...but it was her choice...
 
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