Stephanie Phillips: Meet Zara Tindall And Peter Phillips' Half-Sister

Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips have been in the public eye their entire lives, thanks to their royal heritage. As the children of Princess Anne, it's not uncommon to see them at events with the rest of the Windsor clan. What's more, they had a close-knit relationship with their maternal grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. However, their family life, much like that of their cousins Prince Harry and Prince William, was somewhat disrupted when their parents divorced in 1992. Their father, Captain Mark Phillips, soon started another family, marrying equestrian Sandy Pflueger. They went on to welcome a daughter, Stephanie Phillips, who was born in 1997. 

Stephanie is considerably younger than both of her siblings — Zara was born in 1981, while Peter arrived in 1977 — but she has still managed to forge a close bond with them. Their unique living situation may have been to thank for that, but what else do we really know about Stephanie? Since she isn't technically a royal, she isn't present at most royal engagements, and lives a relatively normal life when compared to Zara and Peter. But like her siblings, she's a child of divorce (Mark and Pflueger split in 2012) and has to endure being mentioned in the press every now and then. 

There's a certain sense of mystery surrounding Stephanie as a not-quite member of the Windsor clan, so let's take a look at what life really looks like for her. While she may not be a royal, her story certainly is interesting.

As previously noted, Stephanie Phillips is the youngest daughter of Zara Tindall and Peter Phillip's father, Captain Mark Phillips. After his marriage to Princess Anne officially dissolved in 1992, Mark found love again with an equestrian from Hawaii named Sandy Pflueger. The pair tied the knot in 1997 in a ceremony lavish enough to be covered by Tatler. According to the magazine, over 300 guests watched the pair say their vows in Gloucestershire. It may not have been quite as huge as his first wedding was, but it was still a grand affair. Stephanie was born later the same year. 

The couple only had Stephanie together, meaning she doesn't have any full siblings. However, Mark also has another daughter, Felicity Tonkin, whom he fathered with another woman while he was still married to Princess Anne. The captain certainly weaves a tangled web, but it means that Stephanie's family is larger than it appears at first glance.

Unfortunately, Stephanie's parents would end up divorcing when Mark left Pflueger for a woman 30 years younger than him. The headline-making move happened in 2012, when Mark struck up a relationship with 35-year-old Lauren Hough, according to The Telegraph. Stephanie was just 14 years old at the time. Mark reportedly met Hough when he was working as a trainer of the U.S. eventing team. 

Many non-royals may wonder what Princess Anne's home really looks like, but Stephanie Phillips isn't one of them. In normal society, it's quite unusual for an ex-husband to raise his new family on the same estate that his ex-wife still lives on, but the royals are unique. When Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips got married, they were gifted the Gatcombe Park estate, a beautiful home in Gloucestershire with plenty of land for Anne's beloved horses. Anne and Mark lived there with their children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips. When his marriage to Anne ended, Mark didn't go far: He was set up in another home on the property, Aston Farm. 

Rather than leave and find somewhere else to go when he married for a second time, Mark chose to stay close to his children and raise Stephanie on the estate. According to the Express, the farm isn't simply a small cottage with some chickens but a sprawling Grade II-listed farmhouse with seven bedrooms. Aston Farm later became Zara's home with her husband, Mike Tindall, when the couple moved in with their daughter, Mia Tindall, in 2015. 

Stephanie's proximity to the main Gatcombe Park house where Princess Anne lives may be one of the reasons she has grown up to be so connected to her father's first family. Even when Zara and Peter had grown up and lived elsewhere for periods, it's likely they would have frequently visited the property. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that royals tend to go to very expensive private schools. And why wouldn't they? They can afford it and, quite often, need the security of a private institution so they can focus on their education. Stephanie Phillips may not be officially royal, but that didn't stop her well-to-do father, Captain Mark Phillips, from sending her to a prestigious private school in Cheltenham, an upscale town in Britain's scenic Cotswolds. Stephanie went to Dean Close School, a Christian school that caters to children as young as 2 and as old as 18, according to its website. The stunning school sits on a sprawling 50-acre site. 

At the time of writing in July 2024, the school fees start at £3,500 for a full-time nursery-aged child and go up to £15,150 per term for boarding senior students. It's not cheap by anyone's standards, but Stephanie's education would have been top-tier — and on par with her siblings. Zara Tindall went to Port Regis school in Dorset, which a parent described to Tatler as "One big educational hug." Zara then went on to royal favorite, Gordonstoun. 

Peter Phillips followed the same educational path as Zara before going on to study at the University of Exeter. Though their education may not have been quite the same, it's certainly something the siblings could compare.

Some people who are close to the royal family are keen to remain in the spotlight. Take the story of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Even though she divorced Prince Andrew in the '90s, Sarah has remained a larger-than-life public figure who often talks about the monarchy and her connection to it. Others decide to keep out of it as much as possible, like Stephanie Phillips. Stephanie posts on social media don't center on her upscale life very much at all. Rather, she uses her platform to highlight her love of animals — especially dogs. 

If you scroll back through her Instagram profile, you will see that Stephanie has a strong bond with her four-legged friends. In 2013, for example, she posted a photograph of four dogs posing nicely and noted in the hashtags that she missed the pooches. The following year, she shared a snap of her dog Lucy and wrote, "My favourite girl in the world." In another, she highlighted a sweet interaction between Lucy and a horse named Athena. And the adorable list goes on.

Stephanie's love of pups is certainly something she has in common with her royal relatives. Zara Tindall is a proud dog mom; Captain Mark Phillips once told Country Life that nothing beats going shooting with his beloved dog.

It's no secret that the royals' favorite vacation spots are true luxury, and though she is not royal by blood, Stephanie Phillips seems to have picked up a taste for the finer things in life regardless. According to the Daily Mail, Stephanie has been known to share snippets from her jaw-dropping vacations in the past on social media, though it seems as though more personal photographs have since been deleted from her Instagram profile in a bid to keep it more focused on her equestrian career.

As well as enjoying the waves in her mother's home state of Hawaii, Stephanie has also visited other glamorous destinations, says the publication. When she isn't enjoying far-reaching vacations in stunning locations, Stephanie often spends time riding horses in the picturesque English countryside. It may not be all St. Barths and Fiji, but the Cotswolds still has a lot to offer without having to pack a suitcase and jump on a plane. 

Royal weddings are wonderful affairs that aren't done by halves. They often cost an insane amount of money (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding is thought to have cost somewhere in the region of $43 million), and the guest lists are longer than Princess Diana's bridal train. With that being said, when Zara Tindall got married to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011, it wasn't quite as expensive, but it was still a buzzworthy event. The couple traveled to Edinburgh in Scotland for their nuptials, and their nearest and dearest followed, including Stephanie Phillips, who was part of the bridal party as a flower girl. 

In photographs taken on the day, Stephanie can be seen beaming as she waves to onlookers. The youngster wore an off-white dress and held a beautiful bouquet of white and blue flowers. By this point, she was a pro at weddings. A few years before Zara's big day, Stephanie held the same position at the wedding of her half-brother, Peter Phillips, to Autumn Kelly. Her look was quite different for that occasion, with Stephanie donning a sage green dress with a flower crown. 

This sweet gesture is a testament to just how close she is to her siblings despite the age gap between them. In 2022, Stephanie returned the favor by having Zara and Peter's children in her bridal party when she got married. 

As previously mentioned, Stephanie Phillips was privileged enough to get a fine education in Cheltenham. Once her time at Dean Close School came to an end, she moved on to study at the University of Worcester, where she gained a degree in business management. While not much is known about Stephanie's time there, opting to choose a qualification like this is a shrewd move. Business management jobs can be lucrative for those interested in taking them. 

Stephanie's sister, Zara Tindall, knows what it's like to study hard and get a qualification behind you. Zara studied physiotherapy at the University of Exeter, while her brother, Peter Phillips, previously graduated from the same school with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Sciences. Stephanie's degree might not be in the same sporty realm, but it was still a wise choice for the future. 

Her father, Captain Mark Phillips, has built up a solid career as a cross-country course designer for horse events, so who knows — he could use his daughter's business acumen further down the line. 

 In 2022, it was Stephanie Phillips' turn to walk down the aisle. She announced her engagement to William Hosier with a series of photos on Instagram in 2021. In the snaps, Stephanie can be seen hugging her future husband and showing off a very sizable gem on her ring finger. Though it's not clear exactly what stone Hosier went for, photographs suggest it could be sapphire. As for the wedding itself, the lavish family affair took place at St. Mary the Virgin Church in Tetbury, and several royals were in attendance. 

Princess Anne was there to support her ex-husband's daughter on her big day, as were Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall, and Peter Phillips. The Tindall and Phillips children — Mia Tindall, Lena Tindall, Savannah Phillips, and Isla Phillips — were all chosen to be part of the bridal party. Stephanie's nieces were spotted dolled up in white dresses with colorful sashes around their waists. According to a source who spoke to People, everyone was getting along nicely: "The children all seemed like a lovely unit. They all seemed very happy, and all behaved impeccably."

Peter also gave a reading from the Bible during the service, which is a lovely gesture that shows how much his sister means to him. Interestingly, Peter's ex-wife, Autumn Kelly, was also in attendance, suggesting that Stephanie maintains a strong bond with her ex-sister-in-law, too.

Princess Anne made history at the Olympics when she competed in 1976, and her daughter, Zara Tindall, followed in her footsteps. While many royals love horses, Anne's branch of the family is particularly fond of the sport. Their shared love of equestrianism is what initially brought Anne and Captain Mark Phillips together, and they are both still heavily involved in the scene. It makes sense that Stephanie would be as enamored with horses as her father, equestrian mother, and Olympian sister. One quick look at her Instagram is enough to show you just how keen of a rider she is. 

Her bio lists her as being supported by Voltaire Design, Champion & Toggi and Lister Clipping, which is an impressive list. There are also several photographs and videos of Stephanie riding various horses over courses and out in the countryside frequently, making it clear that this is more than just a hobby. 

While she may not be as high up in the sport as her sister yet, it looks like Stephanie has what it takes to make it to the top. After all, with her experienced family members there to give her advice at every turn, how can she go wrong?