There might’ve been an awkward bump in for Peter Phillips and his ex-wife Autumn Phillips at the Cheltenham Festival today.
Both Peter Philipps, 48, and his former partner Autumn, 47, attended the concluding day of the event with their new partners.
While Queen Elizabeth’s eldest grandchild beamed alongside his NHS nurse fiancée, Harriet Spearling, his ex was arm-in-arm with her property tycoon beau Donal Mulryan.
Autumn found love with Monaco-based Donal, who set up real estate investment firm Rockwell, just weeks after her divorce from Peter was finalised in June 2021.
When their romance first came to light, the pair were said to have made ‘no secret of their relationship’ – despite Donal still being wedded to his socialite wife, Louise Mulryan, at the time. It is unclear whether the pair are still married.
Donal, who has worked in the property industry for 25 years, also helped found West Properties, focusing on high-end development projects, in 2002 and real estate investment firm Rockwell in 2015.
Today, the exes no doubt mingled in the same circles on the concluding day of the racing festival, with Peter and Harriet enjoying a double date with Mike and Zara Tindall.
The couples smiled and huddled as they posed for photos, kicking off the celebrated Gold Cup Day.
Peter Philips and his fiancée Harriet Spearling posed alongside Zara and Mike Tindall at day four of Cheltenham Festival
Autumn Philips attended the concluding day of Cheltenham Festival with her property tycoon beau, Donal Mulryan
Peter, 48, beamed with his fiancée on his arm, with her stunning engagement ring on display for all to see.
She was regally sophisticated in a tweed, checkered £2,550 coatdress from the brand Suzannah, teamed with a black fascinator and black Penelope Chilvers Sinatra Boots.
To accessorise, Harriet, 45, carried a Mortimer clutch in the shade Iceberg and Kiki McDonough’s Signature Green Amethyst earrings. Peter was dapper in a brown suit and suede shoes – all finished off with a felt hat.
The pair shared sweet glances, looking as loved up as ever at the event.
Meanwhile, Autumn cut a chic figure in a checked £360 Karina coat from Reiss, £150 Claude trousers in maroon from the same brand, with a £395 Brown Pill Box Hat from Carrie Jenkinson Millinery.
Montreal-born Autumn was a management consultant when she met Phillips at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix.
At the time, he was working for the Williams Formula 1 team. She is said not to have known until six weeks later, when she saw him on television, that he was the Queen’s grandson.
She then moved to Britain and married Phillips in 2008 in a ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, that caused controversy because the couple sold the photographic rights to Hello! magazine for a reported £500,000.
Mike and Zara Tindall enjoyed a double date with Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling at Cheltenham this afternoon
For the festival’s finale, Princess Anne’s daughter and son both brought their loved ones for a family day out at the races
The couple lived on Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire with their two daughters, Savannah, who was the Queen’s first great-grandchild, and Isla.
However, they began living apart after their estrangement in 2019.
Peter said it was ‘the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship’.
A statement, released by a spokesperson on behalf of the couple at the time, said: ‘Mr Peter Phillips and Mrs Autumn Phillips are pleased to be able to report that the financial aspects of their divorce have been resolved through agreement, the terms of which have been approved and ordered by the High Court today.
‘Whilst this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the wellbeing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla first and foremost.
‘Both Peter and Autumn are pleased to have resolved matters amicably with the children firmly at the forefront of those thoughts and decisions.
‘Peter and Autumn have requested privacy and consideration for their children as the family adapts to a new chapter in their lives.’
The breakdown of Autumn and Peter’s marriage was considered as particularly painful for the Queen, who enjoyed a close relationship with her grandson’s wife.
At Cheltenham today, eagle-eyed royal fans may have noted a rather remarkable number of fashion similarities between Zara and Kate, as Harriet opted for a Jane Taylor Selene Hat of rather similar design to a Juliette Botterill teardrop hat previously worn by the Princess of Wales.
Meanwhile, Harriet’s Penelope Chilvers Sinatra Boots were also rather reminiscent of Kate’s small Stuart Weitzman boot heel from 2017.
Even down to the bag, there were a remarkable number of similarities noted between Harriet and Kate – as Harriet opted for a Anya Hindmarch clutch in the shade Iceberg.
Yet it wasn’t just Kate who Harriet appears to have taken fashion tips from – with both Zara and Harriet’s jackets both designed by Suzannah London. Harriet wore the Winchester Coat Dress while in 2024, Zara opted for the Alabama Coat Dress.
It’s been a week of high spirits for Mike and Zara, who yesterday appeared as loved-up as ever while out at the races.
The former rugby ace was snapped gazing adoringly at his royal wife, who was dressed to impress in a chocolate velvet suit, teamed with a lime silk blouse and a rose-detailed green hat.
Looking equally stylish in a check suit and blue shirt, Mike appeared reluctant to take his eyes off Zara as they posed up a storm at the Gloucestershire racecourse.
Adding a touch of glitz to her outfit, Princess Anne‘s daughter completed her glamorous look with a set of delicate drop golden earrings.
The royal equestrian and former Olympian kept her makeup to a minimum, allowing her flawless complexion to shine through a sheer layer of foundation while opting for a swipe of pink lipstick.
Mike and Zara, in her role as Cheltenham Racecourse Director, have attended every day of the festival, joining Queen Camilla, the Princess Royal and Kate’s mother Carole Middleton at Ladies Day on Wednesday.
The Princess of Wales’ 71-year-old mother arrived arm-in-arm with Zara, carrying a chic Hermes ostrich skin Birkin bag with an eye-watering price tag of approximately £20,000, and sporting the same £115 Hicks & Brown fedora Kate once wore at Sandringham in 2020.
Although the Princess wasn’t present at Wednesday’s occasion, Carole was still clearly comfortable in the company of her daughter’s in-laws and was even seen throwing her arms around no-nonsense Princess Anne – who is not usually one for public displays of affection.
But Carole’s appearance on Zara’s arm only further highlighted Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s apparent exile from royal life amid the ongoing fallout surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The York sisters were once the ones proudly displayed by the King’s niece. Beatrice joined her cousin Zara in 2024, while Eugenie last joined the royal fold at Cheltenham in 2025.
But it’s unlikely the princesses will be attending the annual four-day festival this year – after they were reportedly banned from joining the Royal Family at their much-loved Royal Ascot in the summer.
For Zara, she instead appeared to rely on the glamour of Kate’s mother for Ladies Day, with the duo seemingly coordinating their outfits for the occasion.
The pair sported near-identical coats, with Zara finishing her outfit with a burgundy blouse, dark brown skirt and black suede boots from Fairfax & Favor.
Meanwhile, the Queen arrived for Ladies Day wearing a camel coat with a brown suede skirt and matching boots as she added a touch of flair with a feather hat by Philip Treacy.
Not long after, the Princess Royal was seen making her way to the course in a forest green ensemble that she paired with a brightly coloured silk scarf.
The senior royals joined thousands of revellers to celebrate the return of Ladies Day after a seven-year break from the cherished festival tradition.
Peter and Harriet, who have been dating since May 2024, officially announced their engagement in July – leaving the nation eagerly anticipating when the next royal wedding could be set to take place.
In a statement to announce their joyous news, it was confirmed that while King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton, had been ‘informed’ of the engagement, ‘no date has been officially set for the wedding.’
It will not be the first time Peter – nephew of King Charles – has walked down the aisle. In 2008, he said ‘I Do’ to Montreal-born Autumn Kelly in a fairytale ceremony at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel.
The couple, who share two children – Savannah, 14, and Isla, 13, separated in 2019, with their divorce finalised in 2021.
Now, Peter has found love again with fellow divorcee Harriet, 46, who shares a 13-year-old daughter, Georgina, from her first marriage. She herself boasts wealthy connections, sharing a relation to the Duke of Gloucester through her late father, Rupert Sperling.
Peter, 19th in the line of succession, popped the question with a sparkling ring which boasts a subtle but touching tribute to his beloved grandmother – the late Queen Elizabeth II – having been designed by the same jeweller behind her iconic 1946 ring.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold previously told the Daily Mail that he is almost certain the pair will not be restrained by traditional royal protocol.
Acknowledging that times are ‘very different’ now, he said: ‘Historically, yes, royal weddings, if you’re divorced and you got married again, it was always a much more low key affair.’
Yet, while Peter is seemingly unlikely to abide by all of the traditions of the Firm on the big day, Mr Harrold is confident that Peter and Harriet will likely enjoy an ‘all-white wedding.’
He adds: ‘I think he’ll still want to do things even though he’s the divorcee. I still think it will be a full-blown white wedding affair.’
For royal biographer Richard Fitzwilliams, there is no doubt that Peter and Harriet’s wedding will be vastly different from his previous nuptials to Autumn Kelly that left the Royal Family ‘bewildered’.
Harriet herself is known for having strong religious roots – having previously shared how she took great strength from her Christian faith as she battled through the early years of single parenthood when ‘resources were scarce and the future was uncertain.’
In an interview in 2009, she revealed that her ‘faith was always in me, but it was kind of dormant’.
She added: ‘Somehow it didn’t seem relevant to my life in London. But the end of a seven-year relationship was the turning point for me. I went to church as I felt there was something missing.’
In a piece written for Christian magazine Woman Alive last year, she also admitted that she’d often found life as a single parent difficult, but found comfort after turning to her faith.
