Since Captain Mark Phillips and Princess Anne split in 1989 and divorced in 1992, the equestrian coach has kept a relatively low profile. Phillips, 77, is most frequently pictured at horse events and supporting his daughter, Zara Tindall, in her equestrian career.
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Zara Tindall with her father, Captain Mark Phillips, on day two of the Badminton Horse Trials 2024.
However this weekend, the former British Army officer made a rare appearance with his former extended family at his son Peter Phillips’s wedding to Harriet Sperling.
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Mark departing the ceremony.
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Anne after the wedding.
After he and Anne divorced, Mark remarried to Sandy Pflueger, a fellow equestrian, and they had one daughter, Stephanie. Mark and Sandy later divorced in 2012. He is now reportedly dating Florence Standaert, a 44-year-old Belgian equestrian. Standaert was pictured with him at the wedding yesterday
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Florence Standaert and Captain Mark Phillips at Burghley Horse Trials, September 2024.
Mark recently retired from his role designing equestrian courses, he revealed last year. “I’m retiring from designing,” he said. “Though I’ll stick around to offer my services as an advisor to anyone else who is designing a course.”
Phillips shared his philosophy on designing courses: “I focus on six key elements: I make sure there’s a beginning, middle and an end to the course, that it flows well, and that no matter what the level of difficulty it always offers options for the less experienced combos.” He continued, “Then I think about creating some slower sections—not at the expense of the course’s flow, but designed to make the time factor more significant. I also like to create questions so that the riders really have to ride, not just ‘point and kick’.”
He added, “I always try to make my courses as kind as possible to the horses, while keeping them challenging for the riders.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.