When it comes to the line of succession we all know the key players.
Prince William and his children, obviously. Then it’s Prince Harry and his two little ones.
But next on the list are a number of royals who have managed to keep a relatively low profile – and those who don’t follow the royals closely can be left scratching their heads as to who they actually are.
Peter Phillips – who is currently 18th in the line of succession – might be one of those royals.
So what do we know about the Princess Royal’s eldest son and the late Queen Elizabeth’s first grandchild?
For starters – he’s 46 and has two daughters Isla, 11, and Savannah, 12, with his former wife Autumn Kelly, 45, a Canadian management consultant.
He now has a new partner called Lindsay Wallace who also has two children from her previous marriage.
At the time of his birth, he was an impressive fifth in line to the throne. But despite his royal pedigree, he wasn’t given a royal title.
His place in the royal line of succession was only lowered when Prince William was born five years later.
So why is he not a prince when many of his younger cousins such as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were automatically given HRH titles?
Firstly – traditionally only the sons of the monarch’s children are given titles, this means Mr Phillips wouldn’t have been automatically eligible for a title.
Secondly – it’s reported that Princess Anne wasn’t keen on her children taking titles, despite the late Queen Elizabeth being rumoured to have offered one.
Princess Anne said in an interview with Vanity Fair that choosing not to give her children titles “was probably the right thing to do”.
She added: “I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles.”
Despite not having a title, Mr Phillips has always been involved with the Royal Family.
He was also said to have spent a lot of time with Prince William and Prince Harry during childhood.
Mr Phillips followed the same path as the late Duke of Edinburgh and King Charles III by attending Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun where he became head boy.
He then studied at the University of Exeter where he played for the University’s rugby league side.
Mr Phillips has enjoyed a successful career in business and has worked for companies such as Jaguar Racing, Williams F1 racing teams and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Although there was particularly cringey moment when he appeared in an advertisement for Chinese milk…
Now Peter lives a life that perhaps Prince Harry and Meghan might like to take a touch of inspiration from.
He manages to step in and out of the royal spotlight – and was recently spotted at Princess Kate’s carol service at Westminster Abbey with his two daughters.
It’s believed that he lives on the private estate of his mother Princess Anne, Gatcombe Park, which is located in Minchinhampton – a posh Cotswolds market town in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, South West England.
