Peter Phillips claims he spent the night at the home of one of his sister Zara’s closest school friends during a 460-mile lockdown business trip to Scotland because he couldn’t find a hotel room – and denies they are a couple, it was revealed today.
A new photograph shows the Range Rover belonging to Mr Phillips, 43, outside mother-of-two Lindsay Wallace’s £475,000 home in St Cyrus, Aberdeenshire, hours after officers quizzed the pair on Friday evening.
Princess Anne’s son Peter, 43, was spoken to by the authorities after neighbours spotted his luxury 4×4 on her drive and called the police claiming the pair were breaking lockdown rules. One neighbour said: ‘What we are dealing with is one rule for one and another for the rest of us. Everybody is sick of it.’
Lindsay, a mother-of-two who is understood to have recently split from her husband Andrew, is a close friend of Peter’s sister Zara and got back in contact with him at a recent reunion for their £40,000-a-year boarding school, Gordonstoun.
A source close to the royal has told Hello Magazine today that they are not dating and he only stayed there because of a lack of hotels in the area. But another insider told The Sun Mr Phillips is ‘besotted’ with the daughter of a wealthy oil executive and had been ‘keeping things under wraps’.
Mr Phillips is believed to have driven to Scotland on Thursday from his home on his mother Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, where he lives with his estranged wife Autumn so they can co-parent their daughters. He stayed over with Lindsay for one or two nights and was seen driving away in his luxury 4×4 with his hood up yesterday.
Police Scotland officers ‘issued advice’ when they spoke to the pair on Friday evening but concluded there had not been a breach of coronavirus regulations after Peter insisted he was on a business trip and had nowhere else to stay.
A spokesman for marketing consultant Phillips yesterday said: ‘We do not comment on details or circumstances of Mr Phillips’ accommodation when travelling on business.’ The spokesman did not expand on what business he was doing near Aberdeen last week.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: ‘At around 6.40pm on Friday 26 March, 2021, police received a report of a potential breach of coronavirus regulations at a property in St Cyrus, Montrose. Officers attended, spoke to the occupants and found no breaches of legislation.’
A source told Hello that Peter previously visited Lindsay in August with his children Savannah and Isla and a group of friends, but didn’t stay over and they met at a nearby beach.
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, 43, (right) drove to Scotland to see oil tycoon’s daughter Lindsay Wallace, 40, (pictured left) a close school friend of his sister Zara who he became reacquainted with at a school reunion
Neighbours of Ms Wallace in her Aberdeenshire village went to the police after his Range Rover was seen on her drive (pictured on Friday night after police visited them)
Ms Wallace attended £40,000-a-year Aberdeenshire private school Gordonstoun in the same year as Zara, 39 (pictured together). Peter also attended the school but is a few years older.
Phillips (top image) is one of three founding directors of XF Medical Limited, a company established last June to exploit the commercial openings presented by the coronavirus outbreak. The company sets up mobile testingh using former Armed Forces personnel
Ms Wallace is understood to be separated from her husband. She was was pictured laughing and cheering (at the back wearing a cream-coloured top and a pink hat) at Zara’s wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011
He has insisted the trip was made for his company XF Medical, which provides rapid Covid tests and police told The Sun no coronavirus lockdown rules were breached
After selling milk to China, now Peter Phillips cashes in on Covid-19 testing
Princess Anne’s son is one of three founding directors of XF Medical Limited, a new company established to exploit the commercial openings presented by the coronavirus outbreak.
XF Medical Ltd, which is based in the King’s Road, Chelsea, aims to meet the demand for speedy and accurate testing.
‘Full results ready within 15 minutes,’ boasts the company’s website (pictured), thanks to a ‘quick and easy finger prick test’ conducted in mobile units which ‘can come to your office, event or place of work’.
The tests are administered by ex-Forces medical personnel.
Phillips, 42, is described as ‘an entrepreneur with a background in sports and entertainment’, with ‘unique’ experience in ‘organising large-scale events with specific logistical challenges’.
The rewards from XF could easily eclipse the income from his Chinese milk ads.
Phillips’s spokesman said last year the company was ‘involved in discussions with a number of corporate entities and organisations’, though declines to offer further details.
‘Any current or future contracts for Covid-19 testing are commercially sensitive and are under [non-disclosure] agreements’.
Peter – who separated from his wife Autumn Phillips in 2019 – was three years above Lindsay and became head boy. Autumn and Peter have continued living on the same royal estate in Gloucestershire for the sake of their children.
The Sun also reported Peter also visited Ms Wallace last August, driving the 460-mile round trip from the Gloucestershire stately home Gatcombe Park, where he lives with his mother Princess Anne after splitting with his wife Autumn.
Daughter of a well-off oil tycoon Ms Wallace, a stay at home mother, is understood to have split from her husband Andrew, who she married in 2010.
She was pictured at Zara’s wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011.
Travel to or from Scotland without a reasonable excuse is prohibited by law. At present, unless you live in certain island communities you must, by law, stay at home unless you have a reasonable excuse.
All holiday accommodation remains closed to tourism which means hotels, B&Bs and self-catering can only remain open for essential customers only.
People can only stay overnight in someone else’s home if they have formed an ‘extended support bubble’ with a partner. It is not known if this is what Mr Phillips and his partner have claimed.
A spokesman for marketing consultant Phillips yesterday said: ‘We do not comment on details or circumstances of Mr Phillips’ accommodation when travelling on business.’ The spokesman did not expand on what business he was doing near Aberdeen last week.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: ‘At around 6.40pm on Friday 26 March, 2021, police received a report of a potential breach of coronavirus regulations at a property in St Cyrus, Montrose.
‘Officers attended, spoke to the occupants and found no breaches of legislation.’
Lindsay Wallace attended £40,000-a-year Aberdeenshire private school Gordonstoun in the same year as Zara, 39.
Peter also attended the school but is three years years older.
Peter and Ms Wallace are believed to have been reunited at a school reunion.
Peter currently lives at Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
A source told the paper: ‘Peter is besotted with her. They have known each other for quite some time.’
They added: ‘They have been keeping things under wraps. Only the inner circle knew about this friendship.’
Peter is also understood to have made a trip to her home last August. There is no suggestion he broke Covid rules during that journey either.
Peter announced the end of his marriage to Canada-born Autumn, 41, last February but the former couple have been living together at Gatcombe Park for the sake of their daughters Savannah, ten, and Isla, eight.
Mainland Scotland is in lockdown with travel only permitted for ‘essential purposes’.
Peter announced the end of his marriage to Canada-born Autumn (pictured on their wedding day in 2008), 41, last February but the former couple have been living together at Gatcombe Park for the sake of their daughters Savannah, ten, and Isla, eight
Ms Wallace attended £40,000-a-year Aberdeenshire private school Gordonstoun in the same year as Zara, 39 (pictured with her brother in 2007). Peter, the eldest son of Princess Anne, also attended the school but is a few years older
Sources said it was not the first time Mr Phillips had visited the address. The nature of the alleged business trip is unclear. A source said: ‘What we are dealing with is one rule for one and another for the rest of us. Everybody is sick of it.’
A village resident told The Sun on Sunday: ‘It seems wrong he has travelled here from England, whatever the circumstances. Scotland is closed and if you flew here you would have to quarantine for ten days.’ England’s ‘stay at home’ restrictions begin to ease today, however they remained in force over the weekend.
Travelling for work is permitted only if the work cannot be done from home. Scotland remains in lockdown with travel permitted only if essential.
Last year it was revealed that Peter was using his royal connections to sell milk on Chinese TV.
In a fresh twist to the row over Harry and Meghan seeking ‘financial independence’, Peter Phillips appears in two adverts for a state-owned dairy firm.
The 42-year-old son of Princess Anne is seen holding a glass of milk in front of a stately home, with the caption: ‘British Royal Family member Peter Phillips.’
Mr Phillips, who grew up on his mother’s estate in Gloucestershire, boasts in the advert of being brought up on Jersey milk from the herd at Windsor.
The revelation intensified the row about ‘royals for rent’, as Harry and Meghan started their new life in Los Angeles.
Mr Phillips and his sister Zara have never had HRH status, and both have come under scrutiny in the past for the way they make money.
He and his Canadian wife Autumn Kelly sold their 2008 wedding to Hello! magazine.
And in 2019 he held meetings with colourful Chinese entrepreneur Dr Johnny Hon over a possible launch of a horse-racing private members’ club in Hong Kong.
‘British royal family member Peter Phillips’ — how Anne’s son is presented on the ad he signs off
Thirsty work: Phillips takes a swig of milk after a ‘Palace’ footman serves Phillips his drink on a silver salver
It emerged that the latest scheme for Mr Phillips – a first cousin of William and Harry – has been to promote ‘Jersey Fresh Milk’ in advertisements shown on television in Shanghai.
The potentially lucrative promotion could be worth tens of thousands of pounds. Mr Phillips did not respond to questions, including as to whether he was paid.
Two videos have been shown on Dragon TV. Filming appears to have been last year. The makers have spliced together footage of Longleat House with a replica of the state coach used by the Queen on state occasions, giving the film a regal feel.