Princess Anne’s ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips was accompanied by his rumored girlfriend Florence Standaert as they cheered on their daughter Zara Tindall at the Badminton Horse Trials today.
The former Olympic gold medal winner, 75, was photographed walking alongside the Belgian equestrian, who is believed to be around the same age as Zara, 42.
They were first linked in 2022 after attending the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials together, where Mark and the Princess Royal’s daughter were competing.
“She’s his new girlfriend,” a source at the event in Lincolnshire told The Daily Mail, and the pair were apparently “inseparable” at the occasion.
At today’s event in Gloucestershire, the King’s niece not only had the support of her father and his girlfriend Florence, but also her husband Mike Tindall, formerly I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Contestant and rugby star from England.
Captain Mark Phillips and his rumored girlfriend Florence Standaert attend badminton horse trials
Florence’s long-time boyfriend, Thomas Ryckewaert, ran the Waregem horse trials in Belgium until his death in 2019. A year later, Mark designed a cross country track in Waregem, run by Florence.
The couple looked casual as they cheered Zara on today; Mark opted for jeans and a navy jumper paired with a white shirt, while Florence wore white pants, a striped shirt and a cream cardigan.
Zara seemed delighted to have her father Mark by her side, with the two chatting and sharing a smile while at the Badminton Estate.
Mark divorced Princess Anne, 73, in 1992 after 19 years of marriage. The couple married at Westminster Abbey on November 14, 1973 in front of an estimated 500 million people.
Four years later, they welcomed their son, Peter Phillips, before Princess Anne gave birth to her youngest daughter, Zara.
Following their divorce, the Olympic gold medal winner, a talented equestrian, married American dressage rider Sandy Pflueger in 1997, but in 2012 it was confirmed that they had separated.
Mark, who is worth up to £20million, had already become involved with another woman, Lauren Hough, then 45, an American show jumper.
Friends speculated in 2015 that he and Hough would soon get engaged, but the announcement never came.
Zara Tindall chats to her dad as he cheers her on at today’s event in Gloucestershire.
Joining Mark in the crowd was Belgian equestrian Florence Standaert, believed to be in her 40s.
Zara Tindall (pictured sharing a hug with her husband Mike) was back on the saddle today as she competed on day two of the Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire.
Dressed in her signature navy riding outfit, Zara looked focused as she warmed up ahead of the competition at Badminton Estate, which began yesterday and runs until Sunday.
Wearing white jodhpurs covered by her long double-breasted coat, the royal completed her look with a matching navy and white hat as she put her beloved Class Affair gelding through its paces at the event.
Mark won gold with the British three-day competition team at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
A year later, in May 1973, Princess Anne and Marcos announced their engagement and married in November, but storm clouds soon gathered around the marriage.
In 1985, Phillips had a daughter, Felicity, with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin. She was reportedly conceived after a brief relationship in 1984, when Mark was still married to the princess.
Anne and Mark officially separated in 1989, and Mark continued to live on the sprawling Gatcombe Park royal estate.
They divorced in 1993 and a few months later, Anne married her second husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Mark would also remarry American Olympic dressage rider Sandy Pflueger and have a daughter, Stephanie, born in 1997.
