Autumn Phillips

Autumn Patricia Kelly (born May 3, 1978) is the Canadian former wife of Peter Phillips, who is the son of Anne, Princess Royal and the eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. After graduating from McGill University in 2002, she met Phillips in her birthplace and hometown of Montreal, Quebec. Their engagement was announced on July 28, 2007, and they were married in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, on May 17, 2008. They have two daughters. The couple separated in 2019, and divorced in 2021.

Early life Autumn Kelly, her twin brother Christopher "Chris" and her older brother Kevin, were born in Montreal, Quebec, to Kathleen "Kitty" (née McCarthy) and Brian Kelly, an executive at Hydro-Québec. It was reported in 2007 that St Thomas' was where Kelly had both excelled at sports and had also studied alongside fellow student and friend, actress Casey McKinnon. Kelly then attended McGill University, during which time she worked as a bartender, model, and later in the television series Sirens.

Marriage and family Kelly met Peter Phillips when he attended the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix as part of his employment with Williams F1. She did not know, until six weeks later, when she saw him on television, that he was Queen Elizabeth II's grandson. She then moved to the United Kingdom, living with Phillips in a Kensington, London, apartment and a cottage on the Gatcombe Park estate. Before meeting him, she had accepted a job with an American computer firm in England,

Their engagement was announced by the royal family on July 28, 2007, and the Queen subsequently gave her consent to the union, as required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772, after a meeting of the Privy Council on April 9 of the following year. Phillips proposed to her with "a platinum ring containing an oval centre diamond with more diamonds on either side".

Kelly, who had been raised a Roman Catholic and educated at Catholic foundation schools, was received into the Church of England (Anglican), which does not re-confirm people who were raised in churches acknowledging the apostolic succession. Had she remained Catholic after her marriage, under the provisions of the Act of Settlement 1701, her husband would have lost his place in the line of succession to the throne. That fact received widespread press coverage and drew attention to the Act of Settlement's bar on Catholics ascending to the throne, and prompted calls in both Canada and the United Kingdom for the respective prime ministers to consider the issue. She did not give up her Canadian citizenship.

The couple married on May 17, 2008, at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle with 300 guests in attendance. and Kelly's dress was designed by Sassi Holford. For the occasion, the Princess Royal lent Kelly the Festoon Tiara which she had received as a gift in 1973 in Hong Kong, and Kelly wore a necklace and earrings from her husband.

Autumn and Peter's first child, and the Queen's first great-grandchild, Savannah Anne Kathleen, was born in 2010 at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. With dual citizenship, the child is the first Canadian citizen to be in the line of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. In 2012, at the same hospital, Phillips gave birth to another girl, Isla Elizabeth.

Autumn and Peter Phillips separated in 2019. Their divorce was settled on June 14, 2021, after which she began a relationship with Donal Mulryan, brother of Sean Mulryan and the founder of the UK development and construction company Rockwell. As of June 2022, she was living in Cirencester, close by to her ex-husband and daughters.