Peter Phillips’ divorced wife Autumn looks smitten by super-rich homes tycoon

She swapped Royalty for riches but Autumn Phillips has, until now, kept her romance with a wealthy property tycoon out of the spotlight.

Our exclusive pictures are the first to show the former wife of Peter Phillips, the Queen’s eldest grandchild, with her new love Donal Mulryan, an Irish construction company boss who boasts that he has been behind more than £5 billion of property schemes.

The couple, who have been dating since last year, were photographed with Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, her two daughters with Peter, on a Mother’s Day outing to the Cirencester horse trials.

Autumn appeared elegant yet casual in a smart green jacket, black skinny jeans and brown checked flat cap for the outing, while Donal wrapped up in a brown puffer jacket. 

Beneath the jacket he appeared to be smartly dressed in a blue shirt with chino trousers. 

Autumn’s eldest daughter Savannah was comfortable in a black puffer jacket, leggings and a cool red cap, while Isla opted for ripped jeans, a silver cap and a fluorescent pink hoodie.  

During the event, the foursome watched the girls’ aunt, Zara Tindall, compete on her gelding Class Affair. 

They were joined by Zara’s husband Mike and his three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas, who played happily while their mother competed.

‘It looked like a happy family day out,’ said an onlooker. 

‘Autumn and Donal were very relaxed about being seen together and totally focused on enjoying a couple of hours watching the horses and letting the children enjoy themselves.’ 

The couple watched the girls’ aunt, Zara, compete on her gelding Class Affair. In his 30-year career, 52-year-old London-based property magnate Donal (above with Autumn) has built 6 million sq ft of hotel, residential and commercial property in the UK

Autumn (above with Donal) continues to live on Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire – five minutes from Cirencester Park which hosted the horse trials – so she can co-parent 11-year-old Savannah and ten-year-old Isla with Peter

Autumn appeared in high spirits during the outing with Donal, and could be seen sharing a laugh with her boyfriend and daughters while watching Zara compete. 

Meanwhile she playfully tugged on Donal’s hair, while he appeared to be enjoying a bottle of beer. 

Autumn and Philip’s children also appeared relaxed and familial with Donal – with Isla riding his shoulders during the event and resting her phone atop his head. 

Body language expert Judi James gave insight, saying: ‘Donal’s relationship intentions look clear from his body language here. As he pays Autumn flattering and rather intense eye-attention to illustrate what looks like his attraction and affection for her he also suggest he’s more than filling the role of relaxed step-dad to her daughters, wearing one on his shoulders while the other smiles happily beside him.

‘The trio look so comfortable and bonded here that it almost looks as though it is Donal who is the dad introducing his girls to their future step-mum. The way Autumn’s younger daughter sits resting her phone on Donal’s head as her legs dangle over his torso suggests this kind of fun behaviour is the norm between them and the way Donal wraps his arms around her feet and clasps his hands comfortably across his belly while gazing at Autumn shows he is more than used to playing with Autumn’s daughters while still showing Autumn some warm attention. In step-parent terms it looks like a perfect display, with Donal actually taking care of the children here while still only having eyes for their mother.

‘With her hat brim pulled over her eyes and her rather tight hand clasp in front of her own torso, Autumn looks a little less relaxed about the PDA with Donal. She does of course look smitten, smiling happily and bending her knees to lean back in a way of reacting that presumably flatters his as he speaks to her, but her response to his intense gaze is to look away as she laughs. 

‘There is a very active signal of her affection later though, when we can see her reaching up to playfully and tenderly touch his hair in a more intimate tie-sign gesture.

‘The key message from these poses though is that Donal, Autumn and her girls look like a relaxed and happily bonded family unit. Autumn’s body language with Peter Philips has looked totally amicable in public too, suggesting that, along with both Autumn and Peter’s low-drama and discreet displays, this might be an as amicable-looking divorce and re-partnering as Peter’s mother Anne managed with her ex Mark Philips.’

Mulryan is close friends with Prince Albert of Monaco, having lived in the principality with his socialite wife Louise before they split several years ago.

In his 30-year career, the 52-year-old London-based property magnate has built 6 million sq ft of hotel, residential and commercial property in the UK. 

Princess Anne’s son Peter, 44, and Montreal-born Autumn, 43, announced in February 2020 that they were planning to divorce after 12 years of marriage 

Autumn continues to live on Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire – five minutes from Cirencester Park which hosted the horse trials – so she can co-parent 11-year-old Savannah and ten-year-old Isla with Peter 

He has known Autumn for more than 15 years, and their relationship was first reported last July. 

A close friend of Autumn confirmed the relationship last year, saying: ‘Autumn and Donal have been friends for more than 15 years. They are both single people.

‘Donal has been separated from his wife for two years and is in the process of divorce.’ 

Donal, who has worked in the property industry for 25 years, also set up West Properties – which focuses on high-end development projects – in 2002 and real estate investment firm Rockwell in 2015.

The friends said: ‘Donal can certainly treat her like a princess.’

Montreal-born Autumn Kelly was a management consultant when she met Phillips at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix. 

Mulryan, who boasts that he has been behind more than £5 billion of property schemes, is close friends with Prince Albert of Monaco, having lived in the principality with his socialite wife Louise before they split several years ago (pictured: Donal and Louise)

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.  

However, they began living apart after their estrangement in 2019. 

However Princess Anne’s son Peter, 44, and Montreal-born Autumn, 43, announced in February 2020 that they were planning to divorce after 12 years of marriage. 

The split was formally settled last June.

Autumn continues to live on Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire – five minutes from Cirencester Park which hosted the horse trials – so she can co-parent 11-year-old Savannah and ten-year-old Isla with Peter.

The breakdown of Autumn and Peter’s marriage was considered as particularly painful for the Queen, who enjoys a close relationship with her grandson’s wife.

The Queen’s grandson reportedly introduced his new partner to the Queen following a shooting party which was held at Windsor in January 

Last year a spokesman for Mr Phillips confirmed Ms Wallace had accompanied him to the joint christening of Zara and Mike Tindall’s son

Last year an unnamed friend of the couple told the Sun: ‘Autumn is a favourite of the Queen and I’m sure Her Majesty will be very upset by this as well. It’s the last thing she needs after all her recent troubles and you get the feeling that the Royal Family is falling apart a little bit.’

Peter has enjoyed a decidedly more low-key life than his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry that started with his mother Princess Anne’s decision not to give him and his younger sister Zara, now married to Mike Tindall, any royal titles.

In March last year, it was reported that Peter had driven to Aberdeenshire from Gloucestershire to see mother-of-two Lindsay Wallace, 40, a close friend of his sister Zara who knows them both from their £40,000-a-year boarding school.

Furious locals called the police when Peter appeared at Wallace’s £475,000 home in the village of St Cyrus near Montrose. Lindsay has also separated from her spouse, but it is not known when the pair started seeing each other.

The royal said the trip to Scotland was made as a marketing consultant for company XF Medical, set up last June to provide rapid Covid tests and antibody tests for businesses. Peter has denied they are a couple.

Peter is reportedly ‘besotted’ with Lindsay, who he has known for ‘quite some time’ having been three years above her at private boarding school.   

Peter, who has enjoyed a decidedly more low-key life than his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry, was joined by his daughters Savannah and Isla at Prince Philip’s memorial last week 

It is understood Ms Wallace and Mr Phillips grew close after spending time together following the breakdown of both of their marriages. 

The couple appear to be serious – with a spokesman for Mr Phillips confirming last year Ms Wallace had accompanied him to the joint christening of Zara and Mike Tindall’s son, Lucas, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s son in August.

And in January, it was reported Peter had introduced his girlfriend to his grandmother.

The father-of-two reportedly introduced his new partner Lindsay to Her Majesty following a shooting party which was held at Windsor. 

 A source told The Sun: ‘It was a very warm meeting and the Queen was clearly delighted to meet someone who makes Peter so happy.’

They added: ‘It may still be early days but Peter wanted his grandmother to see he was happy.

‘It is a clear sign that Lindsay has now been firmly welcomed into The Firm and a major first step if they were to ever choose to get married.’

Who is former PA Autumn Kelly who fell for Peter Phillips BEFORE realising he was a royal?

Autumn, born into a middle-class Canadian family, has been taken from a personal assistant to a respected – and much-loved – member of the royal family. 

Autumn’s early years are a world apart from the grand royal residences and media glare of her former husband’s – and starts with a modest cottage in Cedar Park, Pointe-Claire, in the English speaking West Island region of Montreal.

Autumn was one of three children born to Kathleen and Brian Kelly. Her twin brother, Chris, is a bricklayer and roofer, and their other brother, Kevin, works as a chef. 

The separation of Peter and Autumn Phillips brought an end a 17-year royal romance that reads like a real-life fairytale, one in which Autumn, born into a normal, middle-class Canadian family, is taken from a personal assistant to a respected – and much-loved – member of the royal family. Pictured, the couple at Royal Ascot while they were dating

Autumn’s parents divorced when she was eight and both later remarried. Kathleen and Brian sent their daughter to a Roman Catholic primary school.

At her local state school, St Thomas High, Autumn was widely considered the class beauty and excelled at sport, particularly football and ringette, which is similar to ice hockey.

Classmates remember her being at the centre of a clique of ‘snooty’ young girls, however, who called themselves The Get-Along Gang.

‘They thought they were better than everyone else and could be quite bitchy. Autumn was her own number one priority. She’d throw hissy fits if she didn’t get her own way and could be moody and self-involved. But she did have a generous side and could be a good friend when she dropped her airs and graces,’ recalls one.

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly pose for pictures on the cross country course at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire in 2007

She was also regarded as a party animal, ‘buving’ (the local slang for drinking) and smoking with her mates. 

During her teenage years Autumn landed small roles in a Bob Hoskins film and a TV series but ultimately decided to pursue East Asian studies at the city’s McGill University. 

After juggling her academics with part-time work as a barmaid and model, Autumn graduated from McGill in 2002. 

She is said to have landed a management consultancy job but by June the following year Autumn was working in an events role at the Montreal Grand Prix. It is here she met her future husband, Peter Phillips. 

At the time Peter was working in a marketing capacity for the Williams Formula One team and had travelled to Canada for the high-profile event. 

There is disagreement over where Autumn was working, with conflicting reports suggesting the BMW hospitality tent and as a ‘Budweiser girl’, but one thing is agreed: there was an immediate attraction between the pair.

Peter and Autumn Phillips on their wedding day at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on May 17, 2008. They have now separated. The couple sold pictures of their 2008 wedding to Hello! Magazine for £500,000, causing outrage within the royal family

Peter kept his family connections under wraps but Autumn was still charmed by the Englishman. They started a long-distance relationship, speaking on the phone every day, and Autumn travelled to the UK to visit Peter just weeks after meeting. The loved-up Canadian even accepted a job that would take her to England. 

However she only discovered her new beau was the Queen’s grandson when she was watching a TV show about Prince William’s 21st birthday and a photo of Peter flashed up on screen. Her mother, who was sitting by her side, reportedly said to her daughter ‘What have you gotten yourself into?’  

Despite the shock, Autumn decided to pursue the relationship and took up a position as a personal assistant to Sir Michael Parkinson. 

Unlike some other royal couples, the early days of Autumn and Peter conducted the early days of their relationship largely out of the public eye, thanks largely to Peter’s role as a ‘non-working’ royal and lack of royal title. 

This commitment to a ‘normal’ life remains to this day, with the couple previously saying they are normal people who ‘work full time, enjoy our weekends and get on with our lives like anybody else’. 

Autumn Phillips and daughters Isla Phillips (left) and Savannah Phillips (right) eat ice creams as they watch the show jumping during the Gatcombe Horse Trails at Gatcombe Park, Minchinhampton in March 2016

After four years together, Peter popped the question and their engagement was announced on 28 July 2007. A date was set for the following year. 

Autumn was born and brought up a Roman Catholic but renounced her faith shortly before their wedding so her husband-to-be did not have to give up his claim to the throne. 

The couple tied the knot at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 17 May 2008 in front of 300 guests, including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and Prince Harry.

Autumn looked resplendent in a gown by Sassi Halford and the Festoon Tiara, which was lent to the bride by Princess Anne. She finished her look with a necklace and earrings gifted to her by her husband. Among her six bridesmaids was her new sister-in-law, Zara Phillips. 

The women have gone on to form a close relationship. Both enjoy country pursuits and lived on 600-acre Aston Farm, which adjoins Princess Anne’s country estate of Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire. It is not known where Peter and Autumn are now living. 

Mr and Mrs Phillips attracted media attention when they sold their wedding photos to Hello! magazine in May 2008 for a reported £500,000. The episode provoked claims the couple had exploited their Royal status. 

Photos of the couple on honeymoon on safari in South Africa were also released to the press, prompting speculation they had received the £1,000-a-night accommodation for free – or at least at a knock-down rate – in return for their co-operation in publicising the stay.

In 2010, the couple returned to London after living in Hong Kong, where Peter had a job with the Royal Bank of Scotland, heading their sports sponsorship activities in the region. 

Autumn gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Savannah, in December 2010. Savannah was the Queen’s first great-granddaughter. In October 2011 the couple announced they were expecting their second child. Isla was born in March 2012.

The couple raised their daughters in Gloucestershire and were regulars at the traditional 17th-century stone-built pub, the Ragged Cot Inn in Minchinhampton — which was also the favourite drinking hole of Peter’s parents decades ago.  

She is a director of the business SCGB — the initials stand for Super Cars Great Britain — which offers guided driving holidays for supercar owners.

Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips looking cosy at the Cheltenham Festival on 15 March 2019

Set up with friend Rachael Thomson, their jaunts include trips to Split in Croatia, Venice and the Highlands. The entrance fee is £8,500, with additional expenses on top. Peter’s friend, Johnny Hon, also took part.

Autumn and Ms Thomson are described in the company literature as ‘elite events professionals with more than ten years’ experience with High Net Worth Individual events’.

Sadly, the figures are far from impressive. Micro accounts filed in June 2019 state that the company has net assets of just £1,670 and owes £63,000.

Autumn is also the director of two other businesses. First, APP Consultancy Limited, so-called because of her initials (her middle name is Patricia), which was set up in September 2014 and is run from the farm. 

The couple have chosen to keep their daughters largely out of the spotlight, although they have joined their parents at high-profile royal events like Trooping the Colour. 

The girls have also been seen at the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham and on family days out to the Gatcombe Horse Trials.