Autumn Phillips still ‘loves England’ and will not be returning to live in her native Canada, DailyMail.com can disclose.
Last week, it was revealed that the 41-year-old has separated from Peter, her husband of 12 years who is the Queen’s eldest grandchild and cousin to William and Harry.
It had been widely reported that Canadian Autumn is planning a move back to her native Montreal, along with daughters Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven.
But speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Autumn’s older brother Kevin, 43, said his sister has no plans to return to Canada and is still happy living on Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, UK.
It was revealed that Autumn Philips separated from Peter, her husband of 12 years who is the Queen’s eldest grandchild and cousin to William and Harry. There had been reports that she would move back to Montreal with daughter’s Savannah, nine, and Isla, seven
Autumn’s older brother Kevin, 43, and her mother Kathleen tell DailyMail.com that Autumn no plans to return to their native Canada and is still happy living in the UK
The divorced father-of-two said: ‘She loves England very much and she’s going to stay there. She’s always been happy with that part.’
Asked how his sister is coping with the split, Kevin, a former chef who now works for car leasing firm LA Leasing, declined to comment, saying: ‘Ooh, that’s too much. No, I can’t comment on that.’
Autumn’s mother, who lives in the 41-year-old’s childhood home in the Pointe-Claire neighborhood of Montreal, also said her daughter wouldn’t be returning to Canada.
Asked whether Autumn is planning to follow in Meghan Markle’s footsteps and leave the UK, hairdresser Kathleen Magas said: ‘No, no, no, she’s not.’
Like her son, she also declined to comment further.
Autumn has been married to Peter Phillips, who is the son of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips, for 12 years.
When the pair wed in 2008, Phillips was the first of the Queen’s grandchildren to marry – and will now be the first to divorce.
According to a statement released by Buckingham Palace Tuesday, both families were informed prior to the announcement.
The statement continued: ‘After informing HM The Queen and members of both families last year, Peter and Autumn jointly agreed to separate.
‘They had reached the conclusion that this was the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship. The decision to divorce and share custody came about after many months of discussions and although sad, is an amicable one.
‘The couple’s first priority will remain the continued wellbeing and upbringing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla.
‘Both families were naturally sad at the announcement, but fully supportive of Peter and Autumn in the joint decision to co-parent their children.’
Autumn’s mother, who lives in the 41-year-old’s childhood home in the Pointe-Claire neighborhood of Montreal (pictured) said her daughter wouldn’t be returning to Canada
Asked whether Autumn is planning to follow in Meghan Markle’s footsteps and leave the UK, hairdresser Kathleen Magas said: ‘No, no, no, she’s not’
Despite the split, Peter Phillips was mentioned in an obituary for one of Autumn’s aunts who died at the end of September
The split is understood to have been on the cards for months, with the Queen informed of the former couple’s plans as long ago as last summer.
Sources told DailyMail.com that the break-up is more of a ‘conscious uncoupling’ than a dramatic split and that no one else is believed to be involved.
When the pair wed in 2008, Phillips was the first of the Queen’s grandchildren to marry – and will now be the first to divorce
But while the Queen was told promptly of their plans over the summer, DailyMail.com can reveal that Autumn’s family were not told as speedily – with Phillips getting a mention in an obituary for one of her aunts who died at the end of September.
Jill Smith, who lived in Moncton, New Brunswick, was the youngest sister of Autumn’s father Brian – one of seven children born to Autumn’s grandparents Tim and Ivy Kelly.
In an obituary written by her husband Gary – a former strip club boss who now runs the Moncton branch of hotel chain Days Inn – Jill is remembered as a loving aunt.
It goes on: ‘She is also survived by her nieces and nephews: Kevin, Chris (Victoria), Autumn (Peter), Alison (Mark), Erin (Spencer), Ian (Holly), Tyler, Wesley, Stephen, Kieran (Emily), Ryan, Nick, Patrick, Regan and Jessica.’
Neither Kathleen nor Kevin would comment on when they heard the news of the split.
Her father Brian, who now lives in Peterborough, Ontario with his second wife Lynne, and twin brother Chris, a bricklayer, have also declined to comment on the break-up.
The impending divorce comes in the wake of a string of Royal crises, among them the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for Canada and Prince Andrew’s well-publicized friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Meghan and Harry had initially claimed that they would divide their time between the UK and ‘North America’ but the Daily Mail revealed on Friday that the pair have now laid off their 15-strong British team of advisors.
The pair are currently believed to be holed up in a $14million mansion in North Saanich, Vancouver Island, close to where Meghan was pictured walking her dogs three weeks ago.
The Queen, Prince Charles and Autumn and Peter Phillips at the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering in September last year. Autumn is thought to be a much-liked member of the royal family and enjoys a particularly good relationship with the Queen
The impending divorce comes in the wake of a string of Royal crises, among them the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for Canada and Prince Andrew’s well-publicized friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein
Prince Andrew has maintained a low profile since plunging the Royal Family into crisis in November when he gave a disastrous interview defending his friendship with Epstein to the BBC’s Panorama program
Details of how the couple plan to fund their luxury lifestyle have also emerged, with the two making a brief trip to Miami, Florida, last week to address a banking event.
The pair are understood to have taken a private jet, owned by JP Morgan Chase, to the upmarket event and are believed to have earned as much as $1million for a speech in which Prince Harry spoke of spending years in therapy in a bid to recover from his mother Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew has maintained a low profile since plunging the Royal Family into crisis in November when he gave a disastrous interview defending his friendship with Epstein to the BBC’s Panorama program.
In it, he also declined to empathize with Epstein’s victims and claimed that he could not have had sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre because he was at a branch of Pizza Express in Woking, UK, on the night in question.
Like Meghan and Harry, Andrew was made to relinquish his royal duties in the wake of the furor and step back from a number of patronages.
It also was confirmed earlier this month that the Union Jack will now not be flown outside public buildings to mark his 60th birthday on February 19 in a break with tradition.
The Union Jack is usually raised in the UK to mark the birthdays of all the senior royals, including Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.