Why Princess Anne’s granddaughter Isla Phillips is royals’ secret weapon: Teenager who turns 14 today is a ‘breath of fresh air’ and leads new generation

It wasn’t long ago that Isla Phillips was known for her mischievous antics at royal events alongside her older sister, Savannah.

But the youngest daughter of Peter Phillips and his former wife Autumn, who celebrates her 14th birthday today, is emerging as the new hope for the next generation of younger royals.

Under the watchful eye of her parents and no-nonsense grandmother, Princess Anne, she’s been allowed to grow up away from the spotlight, enjoying a wholesome outdoor lifestyle at Gatcombe Park, rough and tumble with her Tindall cousins, and days out at horse trials and racing meets.

But with bridesmaid duties beckoning for Isla – and Savannah, 15 – when their father Peter Phillips marries his girlfriend Harriet Sperling, it’s possible royal fans will see more of her in the coming year than usual.

The sisters are the oldest of the late Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren, and their part in how the Royal Family evolves over the coming years can’t be underestimated.

According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the girls are a much-needed ‘breath of fresh air’ as they lead the only generation of the Royal Family who are unscathed by the ongoing scandal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s relationship with the paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein.

Everyone from the late Queen to her children King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edwards, and some of her grandchildren, namely Prince William, Beatrice and Eugenie, have been drawn into the saga.

Amid calls for titles to be relinquished and statements to be made about who knew what about Andrew, the next generation down can hardly be tarnished by the misdeeds of their great-uncle.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Fitzwilliams said: ‘Little attention has so far been paid to Isla Phillips, yet, considering her antecedents, she is likely to make her mark on royal life.

‘Her generation should be free of the scandals that are currently causing problems for the thousand-year-old institution of monarchy.

‘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 pressurised.

‘Isla is Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchild, the daughter of Peter and Autumn, who are divorced. Savannah, who is 15, is her sibling. The family have a healthy disregard for titles – with Princess Anne having sensibly decided that her children, Peter and Zara, would be better off without them. 

‘As titles usually pass through the male line, Peter and Zara were not automatically entitled to them, and so she did not inherit a rank from her father.

‘However, what Peter did pass down may well prove to be far more valuable than rank: the family’s love of equestrian activities.

‘Her grandmother, Princess Anne, and her aunt Zara are famous for their equestrian feats, and this has led to them being extremely popular.

‘Isla reportedly goes riding with Princess Anne on the Gatcombe Park estate most days.

‘She has also attended important equestrian events such as the Badminton and Gatcombe Horse Trials and the Blenheim International Horse Trials. It will be fascinating to see if she, too, specialises in equestrian activities.

‘Image is most important and she has a remarkable resemblance to her glamorous aunt Zara.’

Indeed, on New Year’s Day this year, royal fans caught a rare glimpse of Isla as she celebrated the start of 2026 at Cheltenham races.

Pictures showed Isla huddled in a checkered scarf, her long blonde hair braided into plaits as she watched on from the stands with her family.

For many onlookers, it was like seeing double – with Isla the spitting image of her aunt Zara, 44.

Acknowledging the similarities between Isla and her aunt, and even a resemblance to her 75-year-old grandmother Anne, one royal fan commented: ‘Isla reminds me of a young Princess Anne. She also resembles her Aunt Zara’.

Another observer added: ‘Beautiful children, Isla looks like Auntie Zara!’

Fitzwilliams continued: ‘With her father Peter soon to marry Harriet Sperling, she is likely to be a bridesmaid, which will mean she becomes more widely known.’

Peter, who is 19th in line to the throne, revealed last year that he and his NHS nurse girlfriend are engaged.

The couple said in a statement at the time: ‘Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement.

‘Both families were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement. No date has been officially set for the wedding.’

Fitzwilliams concluded: ‘In future years, her grandmother, Princess Anne, who is considered the hardest working, no-nonsense member of the royal family, is likely to advise her.

‘This will serve her well in the years ahead as she carves out her own distinctive path as a non-working royal. This may, however, include charitable work and will most certainly involve a public profile in due course.’

Isla was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on March 29 2012, weighing 7lbs 4oz. A statement released by the Palace at the time expressed how the entire Royal Family were ‘delighted’ by the arrival of a second great-grandchild for Elizabeth and Philip.

Given the adorable young royal was born during the Queen’s milestone Jubilee year, it seems somewhat unsurprising that her second name is Elizabeth – a fitting tribute to her beloved great-grandmother.

She is 21st in line to the throne and, as a result, has been able to enjoy being a member of the extended royal family without managing the pressures of royal duties.

Isla also does not have a royal title due to her grandmother, The Princess Royal’s decision to deny the late Queen’s request for her two children to be bestowed with an HRH title.

Isla and Savannah, living on Anne’s 700-acre Gatcombe Park Estate, are in close proximity to their Tindall cousins, and the two sisters are said to have developed a particularly close bond with Zara’s eldest daughter, Mia.

Indicative of their close bond, at the Cheltenham races, Isla and Mia were pictured sharing a laugh together in the stands, as the cousins observed the equestrian action on the first day of 2026.

The trio have also often been pictured causing a degree of mischief and mayhem to royal engagements. 

Savannah and Isla’s parents, Peter and Autumn, wed in 2008 in a fairytale ceremony at Windsor Castle after meeting five years earlier at the Montreal Grand Prix.

However, the couple separated in 2020 on amicable terms, declaring at the time that the decision to go their separate ways was ‘the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship’.