The Royal Family has been facing a barrage of negative attention amid Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s recent arrest and questions over what they knew about his scandals. But as the royals manage one of their worst public relations crises in decades, there’s a younger generation of family members who bring a fresh perspective and new hope for the monarchy, including Peter Phillips and ex-wife Autumn Kelly’s youngest daughter, Isla.
Isla Phillips, who is Queen Elizabeth’s great-granddaughter and Prince Anne’s granddaughter, turned 14 on Sunday, March 29. Speaking to the Daily Mail, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said that although Isla’s received “little attention” compared to other royals, “she is likely to make her mark on royal life.”
Like her father, Isla does not have a title, since Princess Anne “sensibly decided that her children, Peter and Zara, would be better off without them,” Fitzwilliams shared. But despite the fact Isla's not a princess, the royal expert noted that “what Peter did pass down may well prove to be far more valuable than rank: the family's love of equestrian activities.”
Queen Elizabeth was a lifelong rider and extremely involved in the horse racing industry, and both Princess Anne and Zara have competed in the Olympics, with Zara bringing home a silver medal at the 2012 summer games. According to Fitzwilliams, “Isla reportedly goes riding with Princess Anne on the Gatcombe Park estate most days.”
The 14-year-old is also a regular attendee at events like the Gatcombe Horse Trials and joined her big sister, Savannah, their dad, Peter, and his fiancée, Harriet Sperling, at Cheltenham Racecourse for the New Year’s Day races this year.
“It will be fascinating to see if she, too, specializes in equestrian activities,” Fitzwilliams said. Regardless of what path Isla pursues, the royal expert pointed out that there’s a great deal of promise in Isla and her royal cousins.
“Her generation should be free of the scandals that are currently causing problems for the thousand-year-old institution of monarchy,” he told the Daily Mail. “It should be a breath of fresh air as the Royal Family moves with the times and each generation has something new to give in an environment which is constantly changing but always pressurized.”
