In a year that has already dealt the royal family a number of heavy blows, the Princess Royal is now reeling after yet another unexpected shock. Her eldest son Peter Phillips has quietly split with his partner of three years, Lindsay Wallace.
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A source tells New Idea that Princess Anne, 73, and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, 69, had “expected to be celebrating Peter and Lindsay’s engagement
this year.”
Our insider adds: “Everyone’s sad about this split. Lindsay was welcomed with open arms by everyone – especially the late Queen Elizabeth. The family were hopeful he’d found happiness with Lindsay.”
Peter, 46,and Lindsay, 43 – who was once a classmate at Gordonstoun school with Peter’s sister Zara Tindall – began dating in 2021.
His marriage to Autumn Kelly, with whom he shares two children Savannah, 13, and Isla, 12, ended in 2019.
In January 2022, businessman Peter reportedly introduced mum-of-two Lindsay to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth.
A source told The Sun “it was a clear sign that Lindsay had been welcomed into the family” and that the introduction signalled just how serious Peter was about Lindsay.
It also ignited talk that the pair, with the Queen’s blessing, could be planning to marry.
While Princess Anne is famous for her aversion to public displays of emotion, our source adds that in private “she has been blindsided by the split. She’d come to treat Lindsay like a daughter and was extremely fond of her.”
It was the last thing Anne was expecting and, our source says, “just another drama in an already horrible year for the royals.”
Peter is the eldest of Anne’s two children with her ex Captain Mark Phillips. He was the late Queen’s first grandchild – and, it was often said, her favourite.
“For now, Anne is keeping a very close eye on Peter and her grandkids. They’ll all be suffering as Lindsay’s been part of the family for three years,” our source says.
A friend of the former couple told Hello magazine that Peter and Lindsay “had made the difficult decision to separate as they were spending less time together with work and family commitments.”
They added, “It obviously came as a shock though as most people thought they were rock solid.”
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