Captain Mark Phillips, as well as being an accomplished horseman, having won Olympic gold for for Great Britain, was the first husband of HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal (from 1973 to their divorce in 1992). Together they had two children, Peter (born 1977) and Zara (born 1981). He is the son of Major Peter Phillips, who held the Military Cross, and Mrs Anne Phillips (née Tiarks), both of whom passed away in 1988.
Major Phillips was granted a Coat of Arms in October 1973, shortly before his son's wedding. It is described as follows:
Per chevron azure and Or, in chief a horse courant argent, and in base a sprig of forget-me-not flowers, slipped and leaved proper. For a Crest, on a Wreath of the colours (Or and Azure), a spur rowed upward or, winged argent, enclosing a lozenge sable. Motto - Pro rege et patria (For king and country).
During his Father's lifetime, Captain Mark Phillips carried a Label on both the Shield and the Crest. This is confirmed by the College of Arms as having, in turn, been confirmed at the time of a Grant of Supporters to Captain Phillips. (These are unusually hereditary considering that Captain Phillips may be a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order but his son and heir is not. Yet.) The Grant confirmed that the 3-pointed Label was in fact Argent (white). Since Major Phillips's death in 1988, Captain Phillips no longer carries a Label on his Arms.
The Supporters are:
On the dexter side a winged lion, and on the sinister side a winged horse Argent, each gorged with a representation of the Coronet of H.R.H. The Princess Anne proper.
Both Supporters indeed have a Coronet around their necks which is taken from Princess Anne's Arms, an unusual reversal of roles and also unusual in that Phillips declined any title for himself and for his children. Also unusual for a member of the Royal Family, as the sinister Supporter is usually the taken to 'replace' the Scottish Unicorn and is usually the only Supporter 'gorged' with a Coronet. Not only that, but in those days, there was usually a Chain attached to the Coronet of royal spouse if a Grant needed to be made, as opposed to the use of an existing Supporter from the father.
Unsurprisingly, Zara's Arms are simply those from her Grandfather's original Grant on a Lozenge. It is not known but not expected that Mr Mike Tindall is armigerous. Zara's Arms have never been differenced as, until Peter Phillips's eldest daughter Savannah comes of age, Zara remains the only adult female within the family entitled to show the Arms.
Peter Phillips's Arms are shown differenced with a red Label as opposed to a white Label. This is now of 3 Points, but was a red 5-pointed Label during the lifetime of his Grandfather. I am informed that Peter's Label, then 5-pointed, as well as Captain Phillip's 3-pointed Label were both shown as red in a volume called The Descendants of Queen Victoria. However, I have not seen this myself. Neither have I seen D. H. B. Chesshyre's "Heraldry: Captain Mark Phillips C.V.O.", British History Illustrated, V, 3 (Aug-Sept 1978) which suggests confirmation as well. We shall see...
As his Father's heir he is not yet entitled to show his Father's Supporters but will presumably on Captain Phillips's death.
The above combined Coat of Arms of Captain Mark Phillips and HRH The Princess Anne, Princess Royal is somewhat fanciful. It would date up to 1988 as Captain Phillips's Shield shows the Label. However, I would contend that combined Arms would only be possible once Captain Phillips had been granted Supporters and that it should be HIS Supporters rather Princess Anne's that are shown, even though Princess Anne outranked her husband. This was the case with a previous Princess Royal, HRH The Princess Louise, and her husband His Grace The Duke of Fife as shown in the photo on the right. The two Savages are the Duke's Supporters. |