It’s so curious how Dan Wooten at the Sun keeps getting all of these exclusives where A) Prince William looks wise, woke and future-king-y or B) other members of the family look like trainwrecks compared to William. It’s so strange! I wonder why that is. Oh well, we’ll probably never know! Wooten has another exclusive about Peter and Autumn Phillips’ separation. You might remember, Wooten broke the story, claiming that Autumn and Peter were having such a bad time that Autumn wanted to move back to Canada (she’s Canadian) and something something, it’s all Duchess Meghan’s fault. Then we heard from other outlets that no, of course Autumn will not move back to Canada, the marriage is ending but she’ll stay put in England. Well, Wooten has a scoop on why Autumn decided to stay.
Zara Phillips has been “instrumental” in convincing Autumn Phillips to stay in the UK. Zara, the queen’s eldest granddaughter, persuaded her to snub a Megxit style move back to her native Canada after her split from her brother Peter. When The Sun first revealed that Princess Anne’s eldest son Peter and Autumn were to divorce, there were fears she would leave the country with her two children Isla, seven, and Savannah, nine.
A source said: “Zara first stepped in to help mediate the couple when she heard of their struggles last October. Zara and Anne were told at the end of October that they were having troubles. Autumn was very upset about it. It kind of came out of the blue. Then all of a sudden Autumn was beside herself and Zara took the lead in consoling her.”
“She insisted that she wanted to go home to Canada to be near her family, but Zara reassured her that everyone loved her here and she was very much a part of the family. Both Zara and Anne tried to get the couple to resolve their issues right up until just before the Christmas holidays, but it was very clear by then that it was unsalvageable.”
“…Autumn was very upset about it. It kind of came out of the blue. Then all of a sudden Autumn was beside herself…” This suddenly reminds me so much of another story The Sun broke, the infamous “rural rivals” story about the Duchess of Cambridge trying to phase out Rose Hanbury. In that story, there were no details given about WHY Kate was suddenly so perturbed by a rural rival, but we soon learned the Aristocrat’s Code For Banging Amongst The Turnips. It… feels like that’s happening here. Autumn was suddenly “very upset” about something that “came out of the blue” and “all of a sudden Autumn was beside herself.” Peter Peter Turnip Eater, Peter Peter Rose Bush Trimmer. Wandering Peter, amirite?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and WENN.
ding ding ding ding! I think you’ve solved this mystery.
He cheated…She will move in a year when all eyes are no longer in Megexit. Wait for the insider profile on the conscious uncoupiling and other revisionist history in glossy magazines. I’m sure BP negotiated with reporters to go easy on Autumn for now
Chica71 – so if BP were able to convince reporters to go easy on Autumn, then, presumably, they could have convinced the press to go easy on Meghan? Unless the real reason that they want reporters going easy on Autumn is to benefit Peter Philips, I guess.
And fascinating how the first rush of ‘other media stories’ was how Peter had been blindsided and how Autumn was just very calm about it all and they had just grown apart. And yet now she was just the opposite. I said then that I’d bet there was at least a third party somewhere in this play and I think Kaiser is spot on for the win. I also find it really suspicious that Wooten continually breaks these stories about all the OTHER royals but nothing ever about the Cambridge’s. If it is true that his partner/lover is the Director of Communications for House Cambridge then surely we are not the only ones who can see this stuff is being leaked or made up and fed to him from someone there. I don’t understand how the Dir of Comm still has his job. Shouldn’t there be enough of a trail for even the Cambridge’s to clean house. And the fact that they don’t indicates to me that these stories are coming from or ok’d by either William or Kate. Surely someone else in the royal family is smart enough to see this if we can. How is this leak not been plugged? Now there’s a story I wish someone would write.
Of course they are ok’ed by William tacitly or not and neither BP or CH seems to have any control over William. Future future wields a big stick in that family and is a powerful enemy.
I have zero idea about how the laws work in the UK but here in the US, if two parents divorce, it’s almost never possible for one parent simply to decide unilaterally to relocate–even out of the county or state, much less internationally. If a parent were to do that without going through a legal process, the other parent can prosecute for kidnapping. Now, I’m sure that wouldn’t be the case with this high profile situation, and I’m sure that laws vary widely, but it’s hard to imagine that she could up and move with the kids to Canada. And if Peter has been an involved father (by all accounts he is), that would be traumatic and miserable for their kids to be uprooted from the life they know and moved to another country.
If there’s infidelity, I can imagine that Amber feels betrayed and angry, as she should. But that has nothing to do with her kids, or with their relationship with their father. I get the impulse to want to escape (and it’s got to be so extra awful to see this played out in the tabloid media), but as a parent, you have to act in your kids’ best interests. And moving them across the ocean from their father and friends is not the best idea.
Spend more time over the holidays in Canada, slowly start building more of your life over there, but don’t make the divorce harder on your kids.
All of your post is spot on, but for one thing: His infidelity has EVERYTHING to do with his kids, because clearly, it broke up his family and destroyed the world as they know it.
Putting it on the other parent – as if somehow she is to blame for wanting to put some space between her children and Pervy Andy and the rest of this apparently crumbling crew is unfair and outdated. Their relationship is forever altered by his own actions – not by Amber. Therefore, the whole “best interest” claptrap is bullshit, because if he were concerned with his kids’ “best interest” he would have acted in a way that respected their mother.
That said, I suspect that there will be some kind of transatlantic arrangement with the school years in England and summers in Canada or what-have-you.
And yet peter was the blindsided one? Blindsided by the fact that his wife wanted to apply a consequence to his cheating perhaps? Blindsided by the fact that she wasn’t just okay with turning a blind eye like some other royal brides? That “poor peter” spin was gross in light of this article. And it almost sounds like Autumn just wanted go home and visit her family after learning about the affair, not that she wanted to pack up and leave forever and live there with the girls. I can totally understand wanting to go home and be supported by your family for a bit after being betrayed by your husband. And yet Zara and Anne convinced her to stay and “work it out.” Gross.
I totally agree that it’s gross that she was being pressured to work things out if he was cheating on her. But also really don’t think ripping her kids out of their lives and bringing them an ocean away from their dad is healthy.
You can definitely argue that he wasn’t thinking about what was best for his kids when he went outside the marriage. But ultimately infidelity is between the two adults. Punishing the kids by taking them far away from their lives and father and routine when their parents are going through a divorce just seems like a bad idea. If there’s no underlying issue with abuse or addiction, I guess I just don’t think it’s putting your kids first to do that.
I think she really just wanted to go visit her parents and family for a short time for some support and to figure out what to do. I doubt she would’ve taken the kids for a super long time especially if they were in school.
Maybe she wouldn’t have taken them at all. They have family and friends in England and basically live next door to their grandma don’t they? And their dad could still parent them, like you said, it doesn’t seem like the issue had to do with the children.
Both Anne’s kids — Zara and Peter — have homes on Anne’s 750 acre Gatecombe property. At least one other story stated that either Peter or Autumn would live in another house on the same property so that they could continue to co-parent.
Didn’t Mike Tindall get caught if not cheating at least getting inappropriately cosy with other women a few years back? That would seem to explain Zara‘s turn a blind eye attitude, if of course any of this is true. And considering that Anne did her share of rolling around when she was younger (the whole Camila Charles Andrew Anne rectangle) she may have that aristocratic “everyone does it darling” view as well.
Yeah. I think it was in Australia. Zara was in country but not with him that night at the bar or something and he at least got way to friendly because there were photos. I think it was soon after they married. Story got shut down fast as I think he came out and apologized and said he’d had way to much to drink.
This is a very unfortunate situation for Autumn as she will be tethered to Peter until the children are grown and tethered to her in laws to. I don’t necessarily buy she will get much support from them either.
No one could convince me to stay in a different country with my children under these alleged circumstances unless I couldn’t take my children with me… “you are loved here” seriously?
@Heylee are you assuming the children don’t have a good relationship with their father or are you basically saying you think it’d be OK to completely uproot kids & interfering with their relationship with their father because you’d want to leave the country in a case of divorce like this? Minor children are already collateral damage in a divorce so care really should be taken to act like an adult and put their needs first when it comes to relocation
Right?!?! That part disturbed me the most. “You are loved; don’t go to Canada to be with your family.” So rude. How about you provide emotional support to a woman going through a difficult time and consider what is best for her?
I’m sorry am I the only one who believes she was never going to leave England?
She’s been here for over a decade. She probably has her life set here and has more friends here than Canada. Not to mention she couldn’t just up and take her kids with her.
I think the whole storyline was just to enable wootton to use the phrase “megxit” over and over and over and over again. I don’t think she ever intended to move back to Canada.
Ding, dong, ding, dong. All those RR just love ringing the MEGxit bell.
This. Autumn’s going to stay “like a good royal should” or something. The whole tone of the story is to make Meghan look bad.
I also think it’s one of the few ways they can dump on her in this situation. It’s seems like whatever happened may make its way out and it’s not looking good for Peter. So they spin it that she’s hysterical and wanted to take the kids and leave but has been convinced to stay (regardless of whether she actually did or not). Now people say she’s selfish because she’s making the divorce harder on the kids, infidelity is between the adults, etc. People fall for the royal family spin, and all of a sudden, she’s the one hurting her kids over a complete rumor that’s probably not true, and he skates, and his family looks “supportive”.
This is my take as well. Always consider the source.
Wooten is such a racist douchebag. The nastiness toward Meghan is horrible.
Totally agree Sofia. I don’t think leaving UK was in the cards. She has been there a long time and has friends.
This does remind me of the rural rivals story in that it feels like a non story – of course autumn would be upset, of course Zara would want her to stay (by all accounts they get along and I’m sure Zara wants her daughters to grow up with autumn’s), etc. so then when you consider the underlying implication it seems clear that it’s pointing a finger at peter being unfaithful.
Don’t the families live on the same property? These women have a lot in common, not least of which are their husband’s wandering eyes and I mean, I would be heartbroken if my daughter couldn’t see her cousins anymore. It’s also not the best idea to move children to a different country without one of their parents.
It’s totally unfair and inaccurate to blame Harry & Meghan for Autumn’s desire to move back home. However, I can see how for Autumn their move may have been a “oh, hell no. Harry is the 2nd most popular after the Queen and if he can go than surely I can too because no one really cares about me” type of moment.
I doubt that over time she’ll stay in the UK. Time resolves a lot of things.
It’s also unfair to blame Peter for cheating without any facts.
I wonder what ‘It’ is. I doubt she was going to leave the country for any extended period of time. It feels like a back door to H&M talking points in the future. She’s been there over a decade and has made a life there. Her kids lives are there. At most I see her moving out of their house and Peter gets visitation but I doubt that too.
How do Anne and kids feel about being in the papers?
Anne’s kids don’t have titles and she raised them largely out of the public eye. I think they’ve lived very different lives than the York sisters and William and Harry.
I seriously doubt Autumn would move back to Canada and uproot her kids from all they known. The divorce is going to be hard enough on them. If William is leaking to the Sun (and I believe he is), he’s trash for using his cousin’s divorce to score brownie points. How freaking insecure is he? It’s bad enough what he did to Meghan and Harry, but it seems no one is safe from the embiggening and glorification of Good King Willie.
This reminds me of the beginning of Anna Karenina – she comes to visit her brother’s house to convince her sister-in-law that she has to forgive her husband, Anna’s brother, for cheating.
@LAALAA Dear God! What a reference and spot on.
The BRF needs to go back to only marrying aristocrats who know the implicit rules for catting around. Marrying middle class girls who have bourgeois expectations of fidelity doesn’t seem to be working out so well….
@Malificent – You make an excellent point.
Or all of the parties involved can honestly mean what they say in their marriage vows. You know, like adults.
You mean someone like Diana? She didn’t like it so much either.
Or maybe everyone should be equals? Crazy idea, I know.
Diana was an aristocrat. People had this exact expectation of her. And look how that turned out.
I don’t know about only marrying aristos. DM says that Earl of Snowdon(PrMarg son) & Serena (bonafide aristo) are splitting. So who knows.
Ummm… Lady Diana Spencer?
Serena Stanhope?
Earl Spencer and Frances Shane Kydd?
So, was the press wrong? Was it Peter and not William? Or, where they both out their trimming roses? The blood males in this family seem so toxic in so many ways.
Ohhh that’s a fascinating theory, JA! That could fit the Rose Hanbury PR debacle, William was trying to cover up for his cousin. We’ll never know of course, but I appreciate new angles.
More likely it is a “look away” and diversion from Pedo Andy of York
The Windsor men do like their rose bush trimming – family trait.
I believe it was both of them. I’ll eat my hat if it turns out William was covering for anyone but himself…
no its William because peter lives in a different location. Plus if the rose is going to that cheating route, she should have known she cant go for someone who is below her husband’s power, in this case, peter is no one. rose hubby is powerful than peter, that’s why its William who will be the future king of UK and he and rose hubby are somewhat equal. Plus William is true blueblood than peter . In the end of day william cares about william.
Far far more likely to be William. There was a tweet from one of their set confirming it which was then deleted. Also William would never have sprung into taking the most heavy handed of legal action for a cousin whose marriage he never even attended. (Apparently he attended Jecca Craig’s brother’s wedding instead).
If it is a case of infidelity, Zara would have especially meaningful insight, given that Mike cheated on her during their honeymoon period. I can absolutely see Autumn listening to her advice.
Autumn should not listen to any convincing. Is she dating Julian fellows son?
Do we have proof that he cheated or are we just making it up?
Speculating.
Speculating … though some have already taken it as fact. Over a story from The Sun… while bemoaning the vileness of the British press on another thread.
First Peter was blindsided now Autumn? A sidepiece is the only thing besides the announcement that would come out of the blue. I still think Autumn will get the worse of it.
I’ll bet this stuff is why the RF is so annoyed that Meghan and Harry have skedaddled off to Vancouver Island. As long as they were around, the press had a ready made target for everyone to throw under the bus and deflect from their own sh-t. Now that they’re not there, we get the regular old boring aristocratic gossip abt which chinless wonders in this crowd are bumping uglies without their spouses knowing.
Well the article serves its purpose of earning clicks and money for the RR’s. But it’s also got the interesting side effect of showing what the Tindalls weren’t willing to do for Meghan and Harry. No “we love you, don’t go.” for the Sussexes despite Harry being a godfather to one of their children. In fact, I’ve seen rumors they’ve made some snide comments here and there alluding to a falling out with Harry and Meghan. I’m sure someone will find a way to blame Meghan. But anything I’ve seen leaked publicly traced back to Zara.
It may go back to Zara allegedly making a comment to Meghan that her wedding was a bit “loud” and Meghan replying a cool “oh really,” I found that tidbit when I was scouring the net trying to find out why Zara looked so done with it all at Meghan’s wedding. I don’t know if it’s true but her own quotes are sufficient to show her true colors. She gave the perfectly understandable explanation that the baby was kicking her insides and her bladder and that’s why she looked a bit sour. As a mother of course I could understand that.
But then she went the extra mile to cast a bit of shade at Bishop Curry for going on and on beyond her endurance. It’s hard for me to get the references and quotes on this phone interface which is giving me fits, but her words are easily found in searches. She didn’t need to add that snark in. That was disrespectful. It shows me what Meghan’s so called welcome into that family really was.
I realize I’m bringing it all around to Meghan, but if the RR’s keep dragging her name in then I’m going to counter it.
I’m sorry for the sake of the kids that another royal marriage bites the dust. But these aristocrats can’t seem to remember their marriage vows. Maybe their weddings are too fancy and distract them from what they are promising in churches that seem more a stage setting for their lives than anything of spiritual meaning.
Meghan must have been a breath of fresh air to the Archbishop of Canterbury for him to have spoken up more than once to praise and to defend her character.
Clearly there were problems in that marriage, as it has ended in a separation. The questions related to that can be dealt with privately to prevent another such occurrence.
It is not comity , so why the untimely exposure?
The leaks provided the fereal beasts with an excuse to show their classism and xenophobia.
Apart from the jollies for the tabloids why leak if no one is speaking of the unmentionable affair?
Despite this Autumn’s reputation is still solid where it matters. The report showed the inaccuracies about her education and families real estate value etc. So most of it will be dismissed by this side of the pond.
The BRF has a problem with the telltale tabloid and this proves it. What did Peter did? What did Princess Anne did or got?
I suspect Autumn Phillips is collateral damage?
Somethings in the water for the BRF as just been announced that Margaret’s son and his wife are divorcing.
Maybe all the married-ins are looking at their husbands and wondering whether they’d up-stakes for their sakes, and coming up with the obvious answer.
Geeze! Are you kidding GuestOne? But I’ll bet there will be no stories about how these 2 marriages imploding is bringing anywhere near the pain, fury, and instability to the Firm as did the Sussexes asking to step back a month ago. Wonder how the RR will work Meghan in to this second divorce involving Margaret’s son?
Now apparently Margaret’s son is divorcing. The Firm is sliding towards the precipice – fast
I thought they had a open marriage as he was bisexual (Margaret’s son) – not sure why that is in the back of my mind – am I wrong?
I know there was a court case, @RedGirl, and it involved blackmail; beyond that, as they say, ‘you ‘ave me’
Wow! I saw that and that they’ve been married 26 years. Their youngest child is turning 18 in a few months maybe they were just hanging on for that.
I wonder if the real reason Autumn was approached by Zara is a BRF fear she will spill pots of tea to a Canadian newscaster about the Windsors. She may know where the bodies are buried.