There are two idols of English sports preference - football and horses. It is not surprising that equestrian sports are so in demand in the UK. Equestrian competitions without the participation of English athletes - this is nonsense.
Brilliant officer
To say that the inhabitants of foggy Albion love horses is to say nothing. For India, a cow, for England, a horse is a symbolic symbol. A reverent attitude towards these animals is a feature of British national character.
Mark Phillips was born in a military family in September 1948. After graduating from the military academy, he was appointed to the court dragoon regiment as second lieutenant in 1969. A magnificent equestrian athlete, the pride of British equestrian sport. In 1972, the Olympic champion in eventing. He served well, and the marriage of a noble person played an important role, by 1974 he was captain and personal adjutant of Queen Elizabeth II. Just a stellar career.
Thanks to his enthusiasm for equestrian triathlon, Mark met Princess Anna, a girl of royal blood.
Good acquaintance
Anna is madly in love with horses, a beautiful horsewoman, a participant in all competitions. Her childhood hobby was jumping, and she made great progress in it, often becoming the winner. In 1972 she became a candidate for the right to participate in the Olympic Games. The meeting took place in 1971 in one of the estates where the annual Badminton competitions were held. Phillips became the winner, and Anna was fifth (later Mark Phillips won this competition twice more). Talk began to spread about their relationship, the royal family denied these rumors in every possible way. Below all dignity for members of the royal dynasties to be the object of any gossip. Dragoon was not a miss, acted assertively, did not pull and in May 1973, Mark and Anna became engaged. The royal family reacted to this union mockingly and negatively. Prince Charles, not knowing Mark at all, called him a “muddy type, ” saying that it’s hard to think of anything more stupid than this marriage.
Career
Elizabeth generally expressed that she would not be surprised if their children were with hooves. But at the same time she recognized that the young ones add each other perfectly. Mark Phillips and the Princess of Great Britain were married in November 1973 under the arches of Westminster Abbey. The queen granted the young estate. The proposed title Phillips did not accept in principle.
But on the job he was moving inexorably. Phillips was appointed instructor at the Royal Academy, later serving in the Department of Defense. Prior to that, he won a landslide victory in Badminton competitions, however, combining service and sport became increasingly difficult, and in March 1978, Mark Phillips left the army. Now all the time was devoted to equestrian sports and participation in competitions.
Phillips was not particularly loyal, everything got away with his hand, until in 1984 a child (daughter Felicity) appeared on his side. In 1991, the mother of the child established paternity by DNA.
Official marriages
In 1988, the Seoul Olympics brought silver to the UK piggy bank. He was conquered by Mark Phillips. The statistics of the equestrian athlete are over. After that, he no longer performed in competitions in the status of an athlete. Ahead is coaching.
In 1992, Phillips, as a gentleman, divorced the Queen's daughter after finding out that he was cheating on his wife and has a child on the side. And they, as educated people, have maintained good relations.
Joint children Peter and Zara.
In 1997, Mark entered into a second marriage with Sandy Pfluger. Sandy is a great athlete, winner of equestrian awards. There is a joint child, the girl Stephanie. The marriage lasted 15 years, and everything would be fine, but the notorious “demon in the ribs” confused all the cards, everything is equal here: both the poor and the monarchs. Mark Phillips, once the husband of the monarch, divorces his second wife. The divorce took place in May 2012. Well, he could not resist!
